The Washington Nationals kept turning the roster wheel during their four-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies, and this latest move came with a clear message: Brad Lord is back, and Zack Littell is out.
Washington activated Lord from the injured list ahead of Wednesday’s game and designated Littell for assignment to clear the spot. Lord had been sidelined since July 9 with tightness in his left side, and even with a few rough patches before the injury, he had been the club’s best reliever.
For the Nationals, that return matters. Lord rejoining the group gives their bullpen a much stronger look, especially with Clayton Beeter, Orlando Ribalta, Trevor Williams and newcomers Yovanny Cruz and Will Dion also in the mix. On paper, it gives Washington its best relief unit of the season.
Littell’s departure is the bigger story. Washington signed the right-hander in the spring to a one-year, $7 million deal, expecting a boost to the rotation from a pitcher who had logged a cumulative 3.73 ERA across 61 starts and 343 innings over the previous two seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cincinnati Reds.
That version never showed up.
Instead, the Nationals spent much of the season trying to work around him. Manager Blake Butera used openers ahead of Littell at times, but the approach created its own problems by putting extra strain on the bullpen.
Littell did show a short stretch of improvement in May after a brutal April, when he posted an 8.37 ERA. He followed that with a 2.35 ERA in May, and three of his six outings came behind an opener.
Even so, he entered the DFA with a 4.97 ERA on the year.
The move also reflects where Washington stands in the bigger picture. The playoff race is all but over for the Nationals, but getting Lord back with so many of their key relief arms available at once at least gives the organization a cleaner look at what this bullpen could become. There will still be more changes before the season ends, but this one brings a large chunk of the group together in one place.
In Other News...
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Pinckney answered with his first big league hit and finished 1-for-2 before coming out in the sixth inning. For a club looking for any jolt it can find in the outfield, the debut did more than just check a box on the rookies career path. It gave the Nationals a glimpse of a player who might offer more than temporary depth, even if the larger question of how quickly he can fit into the mix is still very much open. [Read more 🡒]
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Nationals Return Home With Pressure Rising Against A Dangerous Reds Team
The Nationals headed back to Washington after a 7-3 loss to the Phillies, a defeat that left them with three losses in four games in the series and eight losses in their last nine overall. The trip did produce one bright spot, though, as Andrew Pinckney made his first career start and delivered his first major-league home run, a small jolt for a club trying to find anything that can steady it heading into the homestand.
Cincinnati is waiting at Nationals Park for a three-game set, and the matchup does not figure to offer much breathing room. Washington has already lined up its starters for the first two games, but the final game of the series still has not been settled, leaving one more piece of rotation business hanging as the club tries to halt the slide against a Reds team that can make a bad week feel even longer. [Read more 🡒]