Nationals will skip rookie starter after rainout
WASHINGTON -- In a logical move, the Washington Nationals will keep a veteran pitcher on regular rest and skip a rookie after their game with the Miami Marlins was rained out Tuesday night.
The postponed game will be made up in September.
Jordan Zimmermann, who has made 123 career starts, will start Wednesday as scheduled in the series finale against the Marlins. Zimmermann is 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts this season, and the Nationals are 7-0 in games that he started against the Marlins since July 2012.
Rookie Blake Treinen (0-2, 1.56), who has made two career starts, was slated to pitch Tuesday. Instead, he will be used out of the bullpen the next few days.
"We will stay on our normal rotation from tomorrow on," Washington manager Matt Williams said. "That is the plan."
Treinen made three relief appearances earlier this season for the Nationals, and he also was used in that role during his minor league career.
"Jordan is on normal rest. To push everyone back, we had to do that earlier in the month with off days. ... We want to keep them on normal rest," Williams said. "Blake getting his feet wet here ... he has experience in the bullpen so we can do that for the next couple of days until his turn comes up again."
The Marlins were slated to start right-hander Henderson Alvarez on Tuesday, then right-hander Tom Koehler on Wednesday. Now, Alvarez will start Wednesday against the Nationals, while Koehler will pitch Friday at home against the Atlanta Braves.
"Not ideal," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said of having the makeup scheduled for September. "Ideal situation for us is to play, obviously. Nobody likes to play doubleheaders, especially late in the season. The only good this is you have more players to cover it (in September)."
The Marlins' make their third and final trip to Washington in late September in the final weekend of the regular season, and the game will be made up then. Both teams are off Thursday. The Nationals begin a series at home Friday against the Texas Rangers, while the Marlins head home for a weekend series with the Braves.
Washington lost four of its past five games and six of its past eight games, and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and left fielder Bryce Harper are on the disabled list.
Miami is 20-8 at home and 7-17 on the road this year.
NOTES: The Marlins placed RHP Carter Capps (right elbow sprain) on the disabled list retroactive to Monday. Capps is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in nine games. "He will be down for an extended period of time," said manager Mike Redmond, who added that an MRI revealed no structural damage. ... The Marlins called up RHP Arquimedes Caminero from Triple-A New Orleans to take Capps' spot. Caminero is 1-1 with a 6.63 ERA in 11 games with New Orleans and 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in five games for the Marlins this year. "He has to start getting out big league hitters. This is a big opportunity for him," Redmond said. ... INF Rafael Furcal (left hamstring strain), who was transferred to the 60-day disabled list on May 22, will begin playing rehab games for Class A Jupiter of the Florida State League on Thursday, according to Redmond. ... Until the game was rained out, Washington 2B Kevin Frandsen was due to start for second time in three days. Danny Espinosa, the starting second baseman most of the year, is hitting .123 in his past 74 at-bats.
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