Nationals fans won’t like seeing the club’s current bullpen ranking originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Washington Nationals came into the season with little expectation. They are still rebuilding and transitioning, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some fun players to watch.
Dylan Crews, James Wood, and C.J. Abrams are at the core, and they have helped the team get off to a 13-16 record, which has them in third place in the NL East with the struggles of the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.
This record could be a lot better, though, if it weren’t for the struggles the bullpen is having. They currently lead off MLB with 10 blown saves, while they hold a combined 5.27 bullpen ERA, which ranks them in the bottom four.
MORE: Nationals may want to consider trading breakout arm before he hits free agency
Nationals fans won’t like seeing the club’s current bullpen ranking
It’s not just one guy who is blowing the saves for the Nationals. If that were the case, this situation could be a lot easier to resolve.
According to Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller, seven different arms have blown a save, leading to their bullpen being ranked last in the latest power rankings.
“Among their 11 pitchers to log at least five innings of relief, the only one with an xFIP below 3.66 is former starter Mitchell Parker. Closer Clayton Beeter has already thrown five wild pitches, has a walk rate of 7.0 per nine innings and is now on the IL anyway. Basically, no lead is ever safe for this team.”
Washington doesn’t have the high-leverage arms to get things done right now. This shaky bullpen puts even more pressure on a young offense to perform, which is not ideal.
This is something that the Nationals are going to have to figure out, and they are going to have to do it soon. If they don’t, it’s going to be another long season for this club and its fanbase.
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