When leather meets dirt
Reaction on social media was swift, and it didn’t take long for the Nationals to make their position known as well. Manager Dave Martinez designated Shawn Kelley for assignment, calling the pitcher’s lapse in judgment as “disrespectful to the organization
Shawn Kelley’s not stupid. The Nationals reliever knows what’s right and wrong, and, by his own admission, slamming his glove to the ground while on the mound the other day was most definitely wrong. He gave in to frustration, to be sure; told to come in on the ninth inning to consolidate a blowout victory, he promptly allowed three runs on four hits, including a two-run blast by the Mets’ Austin Jackson. As he noted, “I should not have thrown my glove and acted like a baby out there.”
Reaction on social media was swift, and it didn’t take long for the Nationals to make their position known as well. Manager Dave Martinez designated Kelley for assignment, calling the pitcher’s lapse in judgment as “disrespectful to the organization,” added general manager Mike Rizzo, “you’re either in or in the way. I thought he was in the way.” No doubt, the dagger looks he gave the dugout right after leather met dirt contributed to the harshness of the penalty. Never mind that he insisted his frustrations were directed at the umpires and not at the powers that be for calling on him when the score was already 25 to one.
Moving forward, the Nationals have seven days to decide if they want to reinstate Kelley to active duty, place him on waivers, or trade him, but his DFA tag indicates the direction towards which they’re leaning. Which is just too bad, because he had been playing well out of the bullpen; in 32.1 innings through 35 appearances, he posted a 3.34 earned run average with 32 strikeouts. Ironically, his solid showing could have been the trigger for his meltdown. He may well have wondered why he was tapped to throw with the outcome already settled.
In any case, the incident served to underscore the tumult within the Nationals. Third in the National League East and seemingly in no position to claim a wild card berth, they strongly considered letting go of former Most Valuable Player Bryce Harper, only to allow the no-waiver trade deadline to pass without any action on that end. They’re certainly conflicted; as bad as his numbers have been this year, he’s only 25 and more than able to bounce back from his slump.
Then again, there is also such a thing as hoping against hope, and the Nationals look, well, lost in so doing. They’re stuck in the middle, on any given day capable of showing up and then, at a moment’s notice, showing themselves up. It’s exactly what happened the other day, and it’s what figures to keep happening for some time to come.