Drastic Decision May Have Just Flawlessly Fixed Washington Nationals Pitcher

The Washington Nationals have had a tough season so far, but in recent weeks, they have been able to at least find a little bit of momentum as they enter the long summer stretch of baseball. With a 30-33 record, they have room to improve, no doubt, but for a team built around primarily a young core of players, they have been able to at least show some promising signs of development.

The big prospects on the team are the obvious ones: James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews, etc. However, some of the more overlooked options have been improving as well, one of whom is pitcher Brad Lord.

The 25-year-old has bounced back and forth between starting and relieving all season, and after the starting gig was not working out perfectly, the team decided a full-time bullpen move was for the best.

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This happened after his May 6 start against the Cleveland Guardians, and since then, he has made 11 appearances, all of two innings or less. With that move, there was an uncomfortable adjustment period where he looked to not be working out in that role, but as he has settled in lately, he may be on track to retain this spot long-term.

How Has Brad Lord Performed Since Moving Back to the Bullpen?

As previously mentioned, the first two relief outings for Lord were less than optimal. On May 11 against the St. Louis Cardinals, he pitched one inning, allowing two earned runs on three hits, one of which was a home run. His next appearance was two innings, and he gave up five hits, two earned runs, one walk and four strikeouts.

After these first two, it became concerning that maybe he just would not work out in that role, and being a lower rotation starter may just be his opportune spot. However, in the nine appearances since then, he has pitched 12 innings, allowing six hits, one earned run (a home run), while picking up five walks and 12 strikeouts.

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In his last three outings, he has allowed no hits in three innings, walking only one batter and accruing one strikeout on 36 total pitches.

It is clear that this switch to a relief role has been to the benefit of Lord as he continues to dominate out of the bullpen. The Nationals are in desperate need of bullpen production as of late, and he has been one of the most consistent options for them over the last month.