Ross Detwiler replaces Chien-Ming Wang in the Nationals’ rotation
As the Nationals and Rays continued to exchange barbs about the pine tar on
Joel Peralta’s glove – much, much more to come on that – the Nationals
made a significant baseball decision today: Ross Detwiler will move back into
the rotation as the Nationals’ fifth starter and Chien-Ming Wang will pitch
out of the bullpen as he fixes a mechanical glitch in his delivery.
“Chien-Ming is very valuable to us,” Johnson said. “In the [four] starts,
he hasn’t gotten better with his mechanics. I need him. I need him to get
right. I really like where his arm strength is at. But I really need him to
get back comfortable.”
Wang will work closely with pitching coach Steve McCatty while pitching as a
reliever. Wang has been rushing through his delivery, which causes his arm to
drag behind his body and prevents him from getting his hand on top of the
ball. The result is a fastball that lacks its trademark sink and instead
moves wildly across the plate.
The glitch has made Wang ineffective. Wang has a 6.62 ERA over four starts,
allowing 14 walks and 26 hits in only 17 2/3 innings. Last night, the Rays
drilled seven hits and drew three walks against him as they scored five runs
in only 3 1/3 innings.
Detwiler relieved Wang and again showed how dominant he can be at his best.
The 26-year-old left-handed retired 11 of 12 hitters in 3 1/3 hitless
innings. Since the Nationals moved Detwiler from the rotation to the bullpen,
he has responded by allowing two runs in 13 1/3 innings with 10 strikeouts.
“If you compared his performance last night with his last two [starts], he’
s a totally different pitcher,” Johnson said. “He was dominating last
night. Very aggressive after the hitters.”
With Wang in the bullpen, Johnson will be able to give the Nationals’ other
six relievers more work. With Henry Rodriguez and Drew Storen nearing returns
from injury, Johnson feels comfortable with the state of his bullpen even
with Wang, who because of the shoulder surgery he recovered from last year
requires extra time to warm up.
連結：http://ppt.cc/7_CL