RESULT: Nats lose 6-1 to Cubs.
GOOD: Austin Kearns. Put the Nats on the board with his 7th home run of the season. Want to know why the Nats are so bad this year? Check out this analysis on Runs Created by Fire Jim Bowden. Excellent work.
BAD: Jason Bergmann. 6.1 IP, 4 ERs, 4 hits, 4BBs, 6 Ks. He's a reliever. Get over it.
UGLY: Only 4 hits and one walk yesterday off Rich Harden, Carlos Marmol and Jeff Samardzija. In fact, the Nats got Harden into exactly ONE three-ball count before the 7th inning. That is not winning baseball.
INJURY UPDATE: Good news: Elijah Dukes is rehabbing in Columbus. Bad news: He was ejected for arguing balls and strikes yesterday.
NEXT GAME: Off-day Monday. Tuesday starts a three-game series with the Los Angels Dodgers. Collin Balestar (2-6, 4.99) takes on Derek Lowe (0-10, 3.89) for the Dodgers.
OK... Bergmann's a reliever... but he does have flashes of 6- and 7-inning brilliance.
That said, someone has to eat up the innings for the rest of the season.
And that said, how many more of those innings do we want to let Bergmann eat up, when he looks to be about spent for the year?
'Tis all a puzzlement.
Hendo, i probably could have been a little more eloquent, but i think you got my bigger point. Bergmann's strength to this team is going to be as a long-man. if the Nats are forced to depend on him in the coming years as a starter, it's a big problem. i don't see any way he's not allowed to finish the season in the rotation, because, as you said, someone had to do it. might as well be Bergmann at this point.
but unless he magically figures out in the next five weeks how to get throught the line-up the second, then third times, he's re-inforcing the point that he should be a one/two inning pitcher.
and not that there's anything wrong with that, because this bullpen, the way it's set up now, is going to need a lot of help next year.