The Washington Nationals opted for aright-handed opener Paxton Schultzinstead of directly starting lefty Andrew Alvarez against the San Diego Padres Alvarez entered after Schultz and lasted only three innings despite throwing a season-high 74 pitches. The decision reflects the team's cautious approach with Alvarez who is still being evaluated for a starting role and their ongoing use of openers to optimize matchups particularly for veterans Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell.
When the Washington Nationals put right-handed starterAll signs pointed to left-hander Andrew Alvarez backfilling that spot. The 26-year-old, who impressed last season when he was called up for his first MLB stint in September, hadwith Triple-A Rochester before he became a fixture out of the bullpen for the Nationals in long relief.
But instead of handing Alvarez the reins against the San Diego Padres on Friday, manager Blake Butera decided to use right-handed reliever Paxton Schultz as an opener. And by the time Alvarez got into the game, there was already a run up on the board.
Washington Nationals pitcher Andrew Alvarez | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Butera and his coaching staff have opted to use openers throughout the season, mainly in front of veterans Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell to get them to the part of the order where they would have more advantageous splits. Because of that, perhaps it shouldn't have been too much of a surprise that Washington deployed a right-handed opener in front of Alvarez in this matchup since the top of the Padres' lineup is righty heavy, especially when considering this regime has only used Alvarez out of the bullpen.
However, it also seems like the Nationals might not quite trust the young lefty in a starting role just yet. Instead of letting Alvarez -- who has aNationals Pulled Andrew Alvarez at 74 PitchesThe other thing that stood out from Alvarez's outing was that he was pulled after only three innings.
His 74 pitches were the most he's thrown in a major league appearance to date this season, but that still seemed like a quick hook based on the fact that he had thrown more than that number of pitches in his last five minor league outings as a starter. Alvarez wasn't at his best during this outing. He gave up three earned on five hits and only struck out one with two walks across his three frames.
And his lack of sharpness is something Butera pointed to when he discussed Alvarez's performance in the postgame press conference. However, it seems like Washington was looking for any way they could limit the lefty's exposure in Friday's contest, which was strange considering how good he has been when on an MLB mound. It will be interesting to see what happens the next time Alvarez is scheduled to pitch.
The Nationals could have him start the game, which would render this entire point moot. But if they put an opener in front of him again, then that might be the sign that they don't view him as a long-term starting pitcher. Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendationsBrad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism.
While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network.
He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai
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