Riley Cornelio keeps giving the Nationals something to think about.
As Washington’s rookie season winds down, the club is still sorting out what the right-hander might become, and Sunday offered another clue. Cornelio opened the series finale against the Angels and helped set up a 6-5 win at Nationals Park, a victory that finished off a three-game sweep.
The outing came with a wrinkle. Instead of using Cornelio as a traditional multi-innings reliever, the Nationals had him work as an opener for the second time in six days. He had handled that assignment well Tuesday against the Padres, tossing three scoreless innings, and manager Blake Butera wanted another look.
“The way he threw the ball last time in San Diego I thought was really good. And I wanted to give him an opportunity to do that again,” Butera said. “Irv hasn't thrown behind an opener before, so I think this may be a good opportunity for him to do that as well.”
That setup also changed the order for Jake Irvin, who pitched behind Cornelio on Sunday. Irvin has dealt with a higher ERA in earlier innings, and the Nationals were interested in seeing whether the opener role could help change that dynamic.
Cornelio, who was a starter before reaching the Major Leagues, has struggled to find steady footing out of the bullpen. Even so, Washington isn’t shutting the door on a return to the rotation.
“I wouldn't close the door on that,” Butera said, when asked if Cornelio could be utilized as a starter again. “We've messaged to him that we wanted to see him come out of the bullpen.
He did really well in Triple-A at that. I think up here he's still trying to navigate what that looks like.
The more sample size we can get of him doing a couple different roles, the more clarity I think we can give him. But yeah, I wouldn't close the door on it.”
In Other News...
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The harder part of that vision is what comes next, because young talent can make the future look brighter without solving every current problem. The Nationals know the bullpen still remains an issue, which is why the winter figures to bring a different kind of debate than the one they had at the deadline. With the lineup now showing signs of life and the front office committed to patience, the question is how aggressively Washington should try to support the core it has already started to assemble. [Read more 🡒]
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Nationals Prospects Are Starting To Force A Bigger Conversation
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Harrisburg added to the buzz with a 9-3 win over New Hampshire, powered by four home runs and strong showings from Jarlin Susana and Luke Young. Between the results in Triple-A and Double-A, theres a growing sense that Washington has more depth moving through the system than it did a year ago, even if the next wave is still sorting out exactly who will force the clubs hand first. [Read more 🡒]