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Pitching Moves Continues for Washington Nationals Amid Struggles
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- Pitching Moves Continues for Washington Nationals Amid Struggles
(© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
The pitching charade continued for the Washington Nationals this weekend after the team announced a pair of roster moves along the pitching staff.
The Nationals announced that left handed pitcher Cionel Perez has cleared waivers and will be optioned back to Triple A Rochester.
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Perez appeared in Friday's series opening loss against the Milwaukee Brewers where he allowed a pair of hits while pitching in a pair of innings. It marked the third consecutive scoreless outing for Perez, who has allowed two hits over four innings pitched in his last three appearances.
In 16 games this season, Perez has notched a 6.19 ERA and 1.69 WHIP while tossing nine strikeouts and allowing 11 walks in 16 innings pitched.
He initially signed with the Nationals on a minor league deal back on Feb. 14 after spending five seasons in Baltimore . Whether Perez returns to the Nationals' 40-man roster will be another question for the rest of the season with the bulk of his $1.9 million guarantee already in place.
With Perez back down in the minors, the Nationals recalled Orlando Ribalta to take his spot on the 40 man roster.
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Ribalta made a pair of appearances this season, pitching in the four game series on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates where he allowed one hit and tossed one strikeout in two innings pitched and pair of appearances.
In nine appearances in Rochester, Ribalta has also notched a 2.25 ERA and 0.88 WHIP while tossing seven strikeouts and allowing three walks and four hits across eight innings pitched. The two earned runs he's allowed all season came back on April 5 as the 28 year old will now look to translate his success in the minors to becoming a boost in the Nationals' bullpen.
The shakeup comes amid an inconsistent bullpen for the Nationals with the pitching staff ranked among the worst in MLB.
Entering Saturday, the Nationals rank 23rd in strikeouts (256), 24th in walks allowed (132), 29th in team ERA (5.01), runs allowed (191), earned runs (166) and hits allowed (307) and lead the league in home runs allowed (52).
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Meanwhile, the Nationals are coming off consecutive quiet nights from the offense despite amassing nine hits in Saturday's loss, cementing the series loss at home to move to 3-13 at Nationals Park in 2026. The two teams are set to meet again on Sunday with Zack Littell set to take the mound in search of his first win.
