Bullpen concerns grow as Suero exits early in win over Arizona
It took 12 games — no more, no less — for the Washington Nationals’ bullpen to become a puzzle of injuries, usage and concern about how to make it through a long stretch with no breaks. Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park was no exception.
The Nationals were sharp at the plate, logging 15 hits, and Erick Fedde finished five innings with nine strikeouts to match a career high. But the afternoon included Wander Suero walking off the field with head athletic trainer Paul Lessard. Manager Dave Martinez said afterward that Suero grabbed his left side and the team didn’t want to risk anything. Suero, who faced two batters and threw 13 pitches, was slated to undergo an MRI exam Saturday. The Nationals expect to know more about his status Sunday morning.
The bullpen has been taxed by recent short outings by Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin. Before his team beat the Diamondbacks, and before Fedde threw the first of his 95 pitches, Martinez announced that lefty reliever Luis Avilán had torn the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, an injury that typically leads to Tommy John surgery. And after Suero exited his fourth appearance of the week — and his eighth of the young season — a thinned group was at risk of getting thinner.
“It’s always concerning when you have to use your bullpen so much, absolutely,” Martinez said. “But these guys understand the game and they know that they got to pitch; that’s why they’re here. It stinks when you have to go out there when someone’s injured.”
Kyle McGowin rushed out to replace Suero in the ninth. As he did, and once Trea Turner booted a grounder that could have started a double play, Daniel Hudson warmed for his third appearance in three games. Hudson never got into the game; McGowin stranded two runners to finish the victory. The problem is the bullpen has needed to cover too many innings in this run of 13 games in 13 days. Take Avilán as the prime example.
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The 31-year-old hadn’t topped 37 pitches in an outing since he threw 40 on Aug. 26, 2017. Before that, he hadn’t passed 37 since the first few appearances of his career in 2012. But the Nationals asked him to do so Tuesday (to save other relievers after a four-inning start by Strasburg in a loss at St. Louis) and Thursday (to save other relievers after a two-inning start by Corbin in a loss to Arizona). On Tuesday, he needed 38 pitches to complete a crooked inning. On Thursday, he used 39 pitches to record six outs.
Following that second appearance, Avilán told Martinez he felt discomfort in his elbow. He soon went on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation and McGowin was promoted in his place. But Saturday, Martinez told reporters that Avilán had torn his UCL.
Avilán made the team as a nonroster invitee to spring training and logged four appearances in the Nationals’ first 10 games. Sam Clay, now the only lefty reliever aside from closer Brad Hand, gave up a solo homer to Eduardo Escobar in the sixth inning Saturday. Martinez turned to Clay, Kyle Finnegan, Tanner Rainey, Suero and McGowin (as an emergency option) to relieve Fedde.
“He’s going to weigh his options,” Martinez said of Avilán choosing to undergo surgery or see if he can heal without it. “I feel awful, as we always do when somebody gets hurt. But we wish him well and wish him a quick recovery, whichever way he decides to go.”