The move is retroactive to Tuesday, the day after Gorzelanny allowed six runs in five innings against the Brewers. The 28-year-old hadn't previously revealed any arm issues, at least not publicly.
Gorzelanny, who is 2-4 with 4.25 ERA in nine starts, was scheduled to return to the mound Sunday afternoon. The Nationals will make a corresponding move before tomorrow's game, and they appear to have several options.
Either right-hander Yunesky Maya or left-hander Ross Detwiler could be promoted from Class AAA Syracuse and start Sunday on at least four days' rest. Maya has been the better of the two recently, though his 1-4 record and 3.79 ERA aren't sparkling. Detwiler, though, is 3-4 with a 5.77 ERA and was pounded for eight runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings Tuesday at Rochester.
Because of yesterday's off-day, the Nationals also could elect to bump Livan Hernandez (and possibly Jason Marquis) up a day in the rotation and still have each pitch on regular rest. That would give them until Tuesday to call up another starter, perhaps opening the door for Brad Meyers to make his big-league debut. The 25-year-old right-hander has been the organization's best pitcher so far this season, going a combined 6-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 starts between Syracuse and Class AA Harrisburg, posting a remarkable 57-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Meyers, however, is not on the 40-man roster, so his promotion would require the removal of another player.
24 comments:
Mark, good thoughts on the various options.
Actually, to add Meyers shouldn't require a move at all. When we returned Broderick to St. Louis that should have cleared the 40th spot from our 40-man roster right?
57 to 1 K/BB ratio? That's just dumb.
Don't you mean 57K to 1 walk is quite amazing! I actually would love to see Meyers get the chance, but somehow I get the feeling it will be Maya.
Drats! What else is going to go wrong? Well, this opens the door for someone else.
Calling Dr. Andrews...
Yes, Gorzelanny has a history of arm troubles dating back to 2007 with Pittsburgh when he pitched over 200 innings and he had never even pitched 100 in a season before. After that season it took two full seasons for him to resemble the pitcher he was. Sure sounds like a TJ about to happen ...
I missed it completely, but...
What was the roster move that happened when Ankiel was reactivated? (I know, I'm several days late. Busy week at work.)
Gorzelanny was pretty good until the last week and a half or so, so maybe it's not a Marquis-like case of concealed floating bodies this time.
I believe Bixler took Broderick's spot on the 40-man I believe. They could conceivably move LaRoche to the 60-day DL (You know YOU REALLY should Riggleman? What were you thinking trotting him out every day after ST? Really ... you are supposed to be the sage, veteran know-it-all baseball man respected league wide and you couldn't see that truck coming from a mile away? Probably further exacerbated what was already a pretty serious looking problem! ) and then put Meyers on the 40-man. That would be the right move IMHO. Hopefully Stairs disappears into retirement perhaps long with Riggleman when Zimmerman returns ...
@Dave, the move was to place LaRoche on the 15-day DL.
Aha. Of course, thanks.
Riggleman, not that he realizes it, but he cost the Nats a few games by not recognizing LaRoche's problems and getting Morse in there to replace him.
If LaRoche hadn't spotted these things himself, Uncle Jimmy would still be trotting AD out to 1B!!
Maybe that's what Werth was alluding to??
Bradley Meyers time has come---bring him on!!!!!
Bixler was up before Broderick was DFA'd so we should have only 39 players on the 40 man roster. Kimball was already on and was called up to replace Broderick.
I just did a quick count using the MLB roster and there are 39 so unless I miscounted, we have a spot open.
There are only 39 players on the 40-man. Maya is the only feasible candidate to be called up. If Meyers gets called up I'd be shocked. But that probably is the best move. Maya has sucked butt and since this season means nothing anyway, why not see what this prospect can do?
Isn't Chad Gaudin who is on the DL, also on the 40 man roster? If he was either moved to the 60 day DL or DFA'd, that should free up a 40 man roster spot, yes?
Detwiler certainly doesn't deserve a call up. He's been hit hard (41 hits in his last 24 innings!), and showing control problems, striking out 13 and walking 11 in that same time. No way does he get a call-up.
It's especially unlikely when you consider the other 4 SPs in Syracuse.
Maya has been good. His 0.99 WHIP suggests he's been pitching a bit better than his 3.79 ERA suggests. He also has a solid 45:12 K:BB ratio. Given his age, he's the most likely to be promoted.
Craig Stammen has been pretty good too- similar numbers to Maya. 40:9 K:BB, 3.62 ERA, are pretty decent numbers.
Then we have the real prospects: Tom Milone and Brad Meyers. Both have arguably been better than Maya and Stammen. Meyers' success has been well noted here. That K:BB ratio is lunacy. But Milone's success has been largely overlooked. He currently sports a 50:4 ratio. That's 12.5 Ks for every BB. Pretty absurd. His WHIP is low too, meaning batters are finding it very easy to hit the ball hard (like they are with Detwiler).
I'd prefer to see the prospects (Milone is 24, Meyers is 25) get a shot, rather than the older guys (Maya is 29, Stammen is 27), but it's nice to have several options.
Also, hopefully this will open a spot for Brad Peacock to get promoted to Syracuse. Peacock is having his way with AA hitters. 75K in 55IP (4th most in all of the minors) and a 2.13 ERA, too boot.
That should read, "meaning batters are not finding it very easy to hit the ball hard"
Just add Gorzelanny to the long list of pitchers who went to new teams in 2011 that are currently on the DL.
While Maya's W/L isn't great, his WHIP has been good. Detwiler has been horrible in May and is not a MLB starter, Stammen could do it for a spot start but long-term is not a #5 starter as he is too inconsistent.
In Spring Training it looked like the Nats would have good depth in AAA for starters and it no longer looks that way. JZim will hit his innings limit in August. Strasburg won't be available until September and chances are the Nats move 1 starter at the trade deadline.
Let's hope Gorzelanny will be OK.
We are perilously close to admitting Detwiler isn't a major league pitcher of any kind. He has gotten a ton of chances to prove himself and hasn't. How couold someone have his ability (in theory) and perform so badly?
Craig Stammen has been consistent all year at Syracuse. Detweiller started hot and tailed off and Maya started cold and has been pitching better lately. Stammen is the sure thing of the bunch. He's done everything this team has asked of him this year and deserves another shot at the show.
Maya would line up for the start, as that's his slot in the Syracuse rotation. Option him up, let's see if he's really better than what we saw last year.
@fpcsteve -- that's why they say "there ain't no such thing as a pitching prospect".
Maya makes the most sense--they're paying him too much money for him to not get the call. His time is now to prove he can be a lower rotation innings eater. If Gorzo is out long term, then Meyers can get his shot when Marquis is traded.
Hoo Boy!! Another pitching Wus, another brittle, out of shape pitcher.
What happened to the days of 300 innings -- look at Livan before you jump on me for that statement. Pitchers are babied -- from little league select right on up the ladder. Livan was never babied, he played and played and threw and threw and threw from birth to now -- results? a strong arm, designed to go all day.
I am so tired of wussy, spoiled pitchers who can barely last to the 6th inning, and if they do go a complete game (on a blue moon), they end up on the DL.
Momma don't let your baby grow up to be a wussy, brittle, crystalline armed pitcher -- let him throw all day -- build that arm for when he grows up.
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