Heading into spring training, Ross Detwiler was probably No. 7 on the Washington Nationals' depth chart, when it came to starting pitchers. He was behind Chien-Ming Wang, and probably behind John Lannan, too.
Nats Rotation Shakeup: Detwiler Out, Wang In
But Wang got hurt during spring training, and Detwiler surprised everyone by beating out Lannan for the No. 5 slot in the Nationals’ rotation.
Which has gone well for everyone, as Detwiler’s got a 3.88 ERA in nine starts, plus a solid (2.40) strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Just not well enough for Detwiler to keep his job. With Wang recently up from the minors and not physically equipped for role in the bullpen -- according to manager Davey Johnson, anyway -- Detwiler’s being replaced in the rotation by Wang, and sent to the bullpen. From Adam Kilgore (via The Washington Post):
“It’s a tough decision, but I think it’s best for the whole ball club,” Johnson said.
Detwiler (3-3, 3.88 ERA) has allowed 16 earned runs over 20 1/3 innings over his past four starts, including a laborious, 4 1/3-inning outing Friday night in a 7-4 Nationals win. Wang made his season debut in relief of Detwiler, hitting 94 mph with his sinker in three strong innings.
It should be noted that Wang didn’t pitch all that well in the minors this spring, and this move might be viewed as something of a tryout.
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