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Nats Hit the Road -- And Little Else
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In a way, that was true. Coaches and teammates have marveled at how Chico seems unfazed by his surroundings, responding similarly to a strikeout and a home run. Pitching coach Randy St. Claire got a glimpse into how Chico might handle himself in his final start of the exhibition season, when Chico faced the Baltimore Orioles in Norfolk. Warming up in the bullpen, Chico was, to put it mildly, a bit wild.
"Worst 'pen of the spring -- for anyone," St. Claire said.
Trees hung over the bullpen at Harbor Park.
"He threw one in the branches," St. Claire said. "He was all over the joint. I was like: 'Oh. My. God. How are we going to get two innings out of him?'
"And then he went out there, and he was fine."
So in the first inning Tuesday, when Dmitri Young's error at first base led to the Braves loading the bases, Chico took the ball, walked up the back side of the mound, and got Francoeur to ground into an inning-ending double play. Shrug it off.
But the fifth got him, an inning started when second baseman Ronnie Belliard muffed a popup. "I just dropped it," he said.
Four batters later, Chico had thrown "curveballs right down the middle" to Francoeur and then McCann. They ended up with a pair of doubles and a 4-0 lead.
After McCann's double, Chico walked back up to the top of the mound, put his foot on the rubber again, ready to uncork what would have been his 99th pitch. It never came.
Acta emerged. He took the ball from his rookie. And Chico, this time, walked down the face of the mound slowly to the dugout, perhaps another lesson learned along the way.
