Ross Detwiler - Fantasy News & Updates
Ross Detwiler - Fantasy News & Updates
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Detwiler ended his last four starts by giving up an earned run or fewer in three of them, yet he has just one win to show for over that time. With the Nationals 2010 rotation in flux, Detwiler may have positioned himself for a good chance at taking a spot in the rotation.
There was some thought that left-hander Ross Detwiler would rejoin the Nats rotation, but he'll instead work out of the bullpen the rest of the season in hopes of preserving his arm strength for next year. Much like most of Washington's young arms, the 25-year-old Estrada is viewed as a back-end option after posting a 9-5 record, a 3.63 ERA and a 98/33 K/BB ratio for Triple-A Syracuse this season.
Of the five players joining Washington, Desmond is the most interesting, because he has made tremendous strides with the bat, hitting a combined .328 with seven home runs and 32 RBIs for Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse. Washington may be looking for a shortstop next season, with the possibility of switching Cristian Guzman from shortstop to second base. The team could also trade Guzman. Detwiler, meanwhile, figures to join the rotation.
Mock had spent the majority of his limited time in the Majors as a reliever, but his dominance as a starter at Triple-A Syracuse combined with Ross Detwiler's struggles led to the rotation switch. This was clearly not the outing the Nationals had in mind as Mock did little to prove he deserves a rotation spot. That said, sporting the worst record in the majors, the club appears content letting their young righty figure things out at the big league level. Mock is next scheduled to take the mound July 24 vs. the Padres.
Detwiler went 0-5 with a 6.40 ERA in 10 starts for the big league club. Instead of dwelling on the negative, manager Manny Acta said he was pleased with what Detwiler accomplished during his time in the big leagues. "We are extremely happy with the way Detwiler pitched up here. He made so much progress," Acta said. "If you told me that that he was going to start 10 big league games this year, I wouldn't believe it. Our plan was to develop him in the Minor Leagues and probably take a look at him in September."
Detwiler has allowed 16 earned runs and has a 7/7 K/BB ratio in 12 1/3 innings over his last three starts. It's hard to find any silver lining in Wednesday's outing when the left-hander struggled with his command and was hit hard when he did manage to find the strike zone. Though he's shown flashes of usefulness this season -- the last coming in a seven-inning, two-run performance June 20 -- Detwiler needs to show more consistency before he can be considered a fantasy asset.
This is getting ridiculous -- Detwiler is now winless in his seven starts, despite having a complete game to his credit and having allowed three earned runs or fewer in four of his starts. He's got some worth in NL-only leagues, but the hard-luck thing is getting tough to take. The Nationals haven't given Detwiler more than four runs of support since the rookie's debut. Additionally, the bullpen blew potential wins in his first two outings, and then did so again here. He'll hope for better luck, which would basically be any luck, in his next start, in Baltimore on June 26.
The 23-year-old rang up a sparkling 0.82 WHIP and a 2.45 ERA after his first 11 innings of work, but it's been a steady run downhill since then as Detwiler has gone 0-3 with a mediocre 13/10 K/BB ratio since then. He should be benched on June 20 when he locks horns with the slugging Blue Jays offense.
When asked if the injury might linger and potentially hold him out for an additional start, Zimmermann did not hesitate: "I'll be ready to go on Saturday." This is the first start that the 23-year-old rookie has missed as a Major Leaguer. "I'm not concerned," Nationals manager Manny Acta said. "He's fine; there's no problem with him. This is something that we are anticipating doing with a couple of those guys anyways, because we are going to have to monitor their innings and possible shut down a couple of them later in the year when they hit the amount of innings that we think is enough." Rookie Ross Detwiler was moved up a day into Zimmermann's slot in the rotation.
That's two straight outings in which Detwiler has allowed 10 hits. He's permitted seven doubles and a triple in that span, avoiding the long ball but undoubtedly getting hit hard. His salvation has been strong command, as he's issued a pair of walks in the two starts. He still should be avoided when he faces the Reds on June 10 in Washington.
Denied his first attempt for his milestone win by Wednesday night's rainout, Randy Johnson will resume his quest to become the Major Leagues' 24th 300-game winner by pitching the opener of today's doubleheader against the Nationals. Game time is slated for 4:35 p.m. ET. He'll face rookie right-hander Jordan Zimmermann. San Francisco right-hander Matt Cain will oppose left-hander Ross Detwiler in the second game.
The Nationals could only score one run in support of Detwiler, which is likely to be his lot fairly often this season. While he may not put up many wins on the struggling Nats, though, everything else about Detwiler's two 2009 starts suggests that he could be a solid NL-only option. The 23-year-old's WHIP is a sparkling 0.82 and his ERA a fine 2.45 after 11 innings of work, and he's making a strong case for a permanent spot in the rotation. Detwiler's next start will come on May 29, in Philadelphia.
The news comes a day after Detwiler pitched five quality innings in his fist career start against the Pirates. After the game, Detwiler was scheduled to be sent down to Triple-A Syracuse for more seasoning, but Nationals manager Manny Acta and acting general manager Mike Rizzo had other plans. There is now a possibility that Detwiler could stay with the club as long as left-hander Scott Olsen is on the disabled list. Olsen is not scheduled to come off the DL until June 1. Still, Detwiler's inexperience above Double-A makes him a risky pickup.
The key stat was that Detwiler didn't walk a batter. "He did a tremendous job for us," Nationals manager Manny Acta said. "No walks, which is exactly what we wanted him to do. It was the only thing we were concerned with. We wanted him to pound the strike zone and he did that." Monday's game is considered a spot start for Detwiler. He is scheduled to go to Triple-A Syracuse as early as Tuesday to get more seasoning, but the team has not ruled out Detwiler getting another big league start on Saturday, May 23 against the Orioles. If Detwiler goes to Syracuse, look for right-hander Craig Stammen to make the start against Baltimore.
The Nationals are relying on a rotation that has an average age of 24, so this group will likely be overworked by the All-Star break. Nats fans can at least look forward to the arrival of Zimmerman, who has the look of a future ace. Once a team strength, the bullpen could give manager Manny Acta headaches. Rivera is the only proven reliever. One doesn't know what the team will get out of players such as Bergmann, Hanrahan and Hinckley. Bergmann has been inconsistent throughout his career, while Hinckley has to show he can get hitters out for a full season. Hanrahan has been up and down as a closer. Waiting in the Minors are prospects Colin Balester and Ryan Detwiler.
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