How Nationals Used Andrew Alvarez Against Padres Was Puzzling

Butera and his coaching staff have opted to use openers throughout the season, mainly in front of veterans Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell to get them to the part of the order where they would have more advantageous splits.

Because of that, perhaps it shouldn't have been too much of a surprise that Washington deployed a right-handed opener in front of Alvarez in this matchup since the top of the Padres' lineup is righty heavy, especially when considering this regime has only used Alvarez out of the bullpen.

However, it also seems like the Nationals might not quite trust the young lefty in a starting role just yet. Instead of letting Alvarez -- who has a career ERA of 2.31 as an MLB starter -- operate in that manner, Butera decided to use one of his weaker bullpen arms in front of him.

Nationals Pulled Andrew Alvarez at 74 Pitches

The other thing that stood out from Alvarez's outing was that he was pulled after only three innings. His 74 pitches were the most he's thrown in a major league appearance to date this season, but that still seemed like a quick hook based on the fact that he had thrown more than that number of pitches in his last five minor league outings as a starter.

Alvarez wasn't at his best during this outing. He gave up three earned on five hits and only struck out one with two walks across his three frames. And his lack of sharpness is something Butera pointed to when he discussed Alvarez's performance in the postgame press conference. However, it seems like Washington was looking for any way they could limit the lefty's exposure in Friday's contest, which was strange considering how good he has been when on an MLB mound.

It will be interesting to see what happens the next time Alvarez is scheduled to pitch. The Nationals could have him start the game, which would render this entire point moot. But if they put an opener in front of him again, then that might be the sign that they don't view him as a long-term starting pitcher.