Off the heels of easily the worst series loss of the season coming off a string off puzzling showings, the pitching carousel continued for the Washington Nationals almost immediately after Thursday's loss. This time, it came at the hands of one of the team's more prominent players.
The Nationals announced that reliever Gus Varland has been optioned down to Triple A Rochester following a suboptimal showing on Thursday night. Zak Kent is expected to take his spot in the rotation, per Grant Paulsen of 106.7.
While the Phillies tied the game in the seventh inning with Mitchell Parker and Clayton Beeter on the mound, it was Varland on the mound for what proved to be a meltdown ninth inning after giving up five runs, including a two-run shot to Bryce Harper, to cement the loss in both the game and series.
It marked the third consecutive game that Varland allowed at least one earned run while also reaching the mark in six of his nine appearances in June where he owns an 11.17 ERA. Over his last seven frames, Varland has allowed 11 runs where he's contributed to the continued struggles out of the bullpen, alongside Mitchell Parker. The Nationals rank 26th in baseball with the bullpen owning a 4.87 ERA so far in 2026.
In 32 appearances in 2026, Varland owns a 6.25 ERA and 1.77 WHIP across 31.2 innings along with six saves in eight opportunities. Teams are also hitting .318 against him, the worst batting average by any National pitcher who has appeared in at least ten innings.
The 29 year old right hander started the season strong after entering May with an 2.84 ERA, including just four earned runs across 11.1 innings in May alone.
Whether Varland proves to be the last departure out of the bullpen may be another question mark given the continued issues for Washington, struggles that have likely put a pin in president of baseball operations Blake Butera's thinking in the Nationals materializing into a buyer ahead of the trade deadline.
One day after the waiver claim broke, the Nationals announced former Minnesota Twins pitcher Justin Lawrence was activated to the roster where he looks to serve as a boost. The news also came after Carson Palmquist made his season debut after tossing three strikeouts and allowing a pair of hits and one run in 3.1 innings.
Kent, who was initially claimed back on May 4, has appeared in four games with the Nationals where he owns a 4.91 ERA after allowing two runs in each of his last two appearances.
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