Mesoraco update:
On a day full of CINCINNATI — bad news, Asher Wojciechowski delivered a small silver lining for the Reds.
Starter Scott Feldman left a game against the Washington Nationals on Monday at Great American Ball Park after allowing five runs in the first inning. Knee pain that has bothered him in recent starts became too much. On short notice, Wojciechowski took the mound, and he made the most of the opportunity.
Wojciechowski allowed one earned run on two hits in five innings. The Reds still lost 6-1, suffering a four-game sweep, but Wojciechowski’s performance keeps their bullpen rested for the threegame series against the Arizona Diamondbacks that starts tonight.
“I was attacking the zone and getting quick outs,” Wojciechowski said. “My fastball was working today. Being able to elevate against these guys and get some popouts and weak contact, I was able to come in there and throw a solid five innings.”
Feldman (7-7, 4.34 ERA) likely will spend time on the disabled list, manager Bryan Price said, and Wojciechowski (1-1, 5.22) could get another chance in the rotation. Wojciechowski has made four starts and five relief appearances.
“At this point in time, it’s a possibility,” Price said. “There’s a lot of options for us to look at. Truth be told, I haven’t thought about what our options are. I was just trying to get through that game without killing the bullpen.”
The Nationals (56-36) won the season series 6-1 and outscored the Reds 61-26.
Nationals dominate:
“They clubbed us,” Price said. “They beat us up for four games, even though we came back into that 10-7 game in Game 2.”
Washington led sec- ond-place Atlanta by 10 games in the National League East entering Monday night.
The Reds (39-53) fell 12 games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central pending the Brewers’ game Monday night..
Nationals starters com- bined to allow one earned run in 27⅓ innings in the four games. Washington’s starters lowered their season ERA to 3.54.
Reds starters have an era of 6.12, the worst in baseball.
Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg allowed one run in seven innings Monday. Tanner Roark allowed three runs, none of them earned, in six innings Sunday.
Max Scherzer pitched six scoreless innings Saturday. Gio Gonzalez pitched 8⅓ scoreless innings Friday.
“Their starters didn’t give us anything to get excited about,” Price said. “We were able to score off their bullpen when they had big leads and they got some of their younger guys in there, but they steamrolled us.”
Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco was scheduled to begin a rehabilitation assignment Monday night for Triple-A Louisville. He has been on the disabled list since July 5 with a shoulder strain.
Looking ahead:
Sal Romano (1-1, 4.50) is sched- uled to start for the Reds tonight against Arizona’s Robbie Ray (8-4, 2.97). series (13). The Reds hadn’t allowed 13 home runs in a four-game series since 1961.
Feldman doesn’t know the exact nature of the knee pain, only that it’s something he has overcome in recent starts. The pain affected his velocity.
“I didn’t really get over the hump today,” Feldman said. “It didn’t loosen up. Not only was I making bad pitches, they were coming in 8 miles an hour slower than normal. It was one of those days where it wasn’t cooperating.”
This was the shortest start of Feldman’s career. He fell to 7-7. His ERA jumped from 3.94 to 4.34. That’s still the best mark on the staff for anyone who has made more than five starts.
“It’s hard to see him struggle because he’s done everything he can to take the field and compete for us,” Price said. “He’s been our best starter. He’s been a great addition to the organization. He’s appreciated the opportunity. He’s taken advantage of the opportunity. He’s worked his tail off. He’s been influential with the young guys. And he’s been a performer.
“The idea of him not being in the mix, at least for a short period of time, hurts the club and hurts me personally because he’s given us everything he’s got to give us some important innings.”