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Washington Nationals Need To Keep Joe Ross In Rotation

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Washinton Nationals Need To Give Joe Ross Another Start

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Nationals were expected to boast the best starting rotation entering 2015, but that hasn’t been the case. While the team is currently ranked 11th in MLB in starters’ ERA, a lot of that has to due with Max Scherzer‘s 1.85 ERA and Jordan Zimmermann‘s 2.88 ERA. The ERA for the other six pitchers that have made a start in 2015, is a combined 5.31. General manager, Mike Rizzo, made a bold decision, when he decided to bring up 21-year-old Joe Ross from Double-A to start Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs.

From what I saw, the Nationals need to find a way to get Ross some more starts. He retired the first nine batters of the game in order before getting into some trouble in the fourth inning when he allowed three straight hits to lead off the inning that allowed one run to score. After that run scored, the Cubs had runners on first and second with no outs and Ross stranded both runners, which is impressive for a pitcher making his MLB debut. Ross would go on to allow three more hits and two more runs in the fifth inning, which was his last, as he finished the day allowing six hits, three earned runs, and striking out four, in five innings of work.

Those numbers don’t look all that impressive, but it was the stuff he was throwing that got my attention. Ross throws a mid-90s sinker that he does a real good job of staying on top of, throwing it at a downward angle. There were times the ball moved like a changeup, but it was moving at 95 mph. Speaking of Ross’s changeup, it’s an absolutely nasty strikeout pitch. He throws it in the mid-80s, and the bottom just falls right out of the ball. I haven’t been this impressed by a Nationals pitching debut, since Stephen Strasburg in 2010.

Doug Fister is ready for a rehab assignment, and Strasburg said he felt good after a 30-pitch bullpen session today, so it may seem that Ross’s time with the Nationals may be short, but I’m not exactly sure that’s the case. Although Rizzo started Wilmer Difo‘s service clock in May to have him sit on the bench for 15 days, I don’t think he would’ve done that with Ross’s potential. Difo probably isn’t a long-term answer at shortstop for the Nationals, so it’s likely not a big deal that his time was wasted with the Nationals, but Ross is expected to be in the Nationals rotation for the long-term.

I expect Fister to join the rotation whenever he feels he is healthy enough, which would likely send Tanner Roark back to the bullpen. With Strasburg’s successful bullpen session today, it seems he’s trying to return quickly, but with his struggles in 2015, I wonder if the Nationals will let him take some extra time and work on some things before bringing him back up. Before the injury, Strasburg was the worst starting pitcher in MLB. In this scenario, Ross might earn another couple of starts.

The other possibility would be to go to a six-man rotation for a bit, but I believe that could possibly throw off the rhythms that Scherzer and Zimmermann are in. It wouldn’t make sense to put an extra day of rest in their routine that they aren’t accustomed to.

I’m not sure what the answer is, but Ross deserves to be in the major leagues right now. If Rizzo started another prospect’s service clock for one start, then he is harming the future of the Nationals organization. One thing he’s always said is to keep one eye on the present and one on the future. Hopefully, Ross has a role to play for both.

Jason Fletcher is a MLB Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.

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