Lannan's Struggles Continue; Team Moves On

It is still remarkable to consider that a pitcher for a Major League Baseball team could go from Opening Day starter to struggling in AA in one season, but that's exactly what John Lannan has done in the course of 4 short months.

Manager Jim Riggleman listed John Lannan, Matt Chico, and Ross Detwiler as possible starters in place of Luis Atilano this Sunday after he was placed on the DL with bone chips in his elbow. Lannan started on Thursday in Harrisburg, so that basically eliminates a Sunday start for him. However, even if it wouldn't be short rest, Lannan hasn't made a case for himself since he left DC.

When Lannan was sent down, he showed no signs of being a top of the rotation starter. His ERA was 5.76, he had walked 35 batters in just 14 starts. Considering in his last two seasons, his ERA was below 4.00, something was obviously wrong. At first, the Nats thought he was hurt. He missed a start, came back, and nothing. So the organization did the unthinkable. They demoted their Opening Day starter. (Aside: The Nats starting rotation on Opening Day included Lannan, Mock, Stammen, and Marquis. Of those 4, none of them have spent the entire season in the majors, and Stammen is the only one in the rotation today. And that's probably temporary.)

But since Lannan trekked up Route 15 to Harrisburg, PA, there hasn't been much improvement. His ERA is down to 4.29, but he's facing merely adequate major league talent. He is 1-3, and while you can't learn everything by wins and losses, in his most recent outing, Lannan gave up 4 runs on 9 hits in just 5 innings. In Lannan's last start on July 17th, he went just 4 2/3 innings and gave up 4 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits.

So while Lannan tries to figure it out in Double-A, Ross Detwiler and Jordan Zimmerman are getting closer to MLB-ready. Strasburg has solidified himself as the Nats ace for years to come (Please don't be like Mark Prior, Please don't be like Mark Prior...). Livan has shown that he can still be a middle to bottom of the rotation innings eater. Scott Olsen and Jason Marquis could both be on their way back to the rotation soon. So all of a sudden, even with Strasburg being shut down in a few weeks, it looks like there may be no room for the Nats 2010 Opening Day starter on the expanded September roster.

It is a meteoric decline by a guy that many considered a 3rd or 4th spot starter (after Strasburg and Zimmermann) for many years to come. Lannan is an upstanding player, one that works tirelessly to be a better pitcher and an off-the-field presence in the community. I speak for many when I say I hope that he can figure it out and have a comeback very soon.

Capitol Baseball will continue to update all ye dedicated readers on Lannan's progress.

Matt Chico, J. Max, and Game 30 with Florida

Just a few days ago, Nationals Journal posted an article about how Matt Chico had a long way back to the majors, how he had so many guys in front of him in the depth chart. I joked with a fellow co-worker the day that it came out that Lannan wouldn't make his next start that maybe Chico would get the start. We both had a good laugh about it.... Well, we probably shouldn't have been laughing.

Chico will get his first start in the majors today in 24 months against the Florida Marlins. No, that's not a typo. Two solid years, or at least it would have been on May 21st. In that time, he's had a ligament replaced in his elbow, gotten two years older, and has become sort of a running joke among die hard Nats observers. He barely looked passable this spring, resulting in his being sent to AA Harrisburg in April. But now he gets his shot. His last full season in DC, his rookie year, he was 7-9 with a 4.63 ERA. Now, you have to remember, at that time, the Nationals were a terrible ball club. There was no offense to speak of and Chico was a rookie. Maybe this is the opportunity Matt needs to figure himself out. But if I actually believed it, I wouldn't have laughed audibly when I heard he was starting today. Prove me wrong, Matt. Capitol Baseball will be there with my younger sister, so I'll be sure to snap pics of this momentous (hilarious?) moment in the Nats 2010 season.

Meanwhile, Justin Maxwell has been sent down to Syracuse yet again to create roster space for Chico, since Lannan won't be put on the DL. This has to be frustrating for the young Maxwell, who has been shipped around the farm and majors all year. Maxwell is batting below .200 although his OBP is aroun .350, the Nats are only playing him against lefties, and it should be quite a while before the Nats face another lefty as Mark Zuckerman reports. Until next time Justin.

The Nats today look to avoid another loss to the Marlins which would put them back down to .500 on the season and would create a guarantee for another series loss to the team. The Nats need a win today to keep their winning record that is getting fans to the park and not suffer another loss to an NL East team early on. To do that, Matt Chico is going to have to seriously outperform expectations. Until the post game recap, enjoy this beautiful Saturday in DC.