Nationals Top Prospect Has Stellar Debut in Relief of Struggling Trevor Williams

The Washington Nationals hosted the Detroit Tigers -- owners of the best record in the American League -- on Wednesday for a doubleheader after Game 1 of the series was rained out on Tuesday evening.

It was veteran Trevor Williams taking the mound for the Nationals, but like it's been so often throughout the season, he just didn’t have it.

The Tigers jumped on him early, scoring six runs in the top of the first inning courtesy of three-run homers by left fielder Riley Greene and catcher Jake Rogers.

More News: Five Washington Nationals Who Could be Dealt as MLB Trade Deadline Approaches

Williams needed 54 pitches to get through the first frame, picking an awful time for an implosion with the team set to play at least 18 innings in the day.

The veteran righty labored through three innings, surrendering another run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Detroit's shortstop Trey Sweeney.

Williams' afternoon mercifully ended after surrendering nine hits and issuing one walk with four strikeouts and seven earned runs allowed.

Things didn’t get any better for Jackson Rutledge, who served up a second three-run homer to Greene on the afternoon during the fourth inning.

More News: Kyle Finnegan Gives His Thoughts on Struggles of Young Nationals Relievers

He pitched two innings before giving way to Eduardo Salazar, who gave up a solo home run to first baseman Spencer Torkelson.

In need of someone to eat some innings and get the team through what was an abysmal Game 1, manager Dave Martinez turned to one of the team’s top prospects, Andry Lara.

He was promoted to the big leagues before the game, and Washington wasted no time getting him into the contest to make his MLB debut when he took over in the top of the seventh inning.

More News: Nationals Have Two Prospects Heading to MLB All-Star Futures Game This Season

It was anyone’s guess how he would respond to the moment, as his performance in the minor leagues has been up and down.

Lara has struggled at Triple-A with a 10.47 ERA across 16.1 innings. With only five appearances above Double-A and only 91 professional outings overall, the Nationals were crossing their fingers and hoping for the best.

The best is what they received, as Lara’s debut went as well as it could have.

More News: Top NCAA Coach Thinks Nationals' First Overall Pick in MLB Draft Is Clear

Despite the lopsided score in what ended up being an 11-2 loss, it was encouraging to see him throw the ball so well, navigating the Tigers' lineup with ease.

That includes a strikeout of Greene, who was as locked in as anyone at the plate.

He ended up throwing three shutout innings, striking out four and allowing only one hit without issuing a walk. It took him just 36 pitches to get through those three innings.

That kind of performance could certainly earn him a longer stay beyond just being the 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader.

For more Nationals news, head over to Nationals On SI.