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Chico, Nats Struggling To Get the Job Done
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There are, however, other options. Lefty Mike O'Connor arrived from Columbus earlier in the week, and the intent is to use him as a long reliever. But Acta said O'Connor could be considered for a starter's spot should someone stumble. O'Connor went 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in his four starts for Columbus before the Nationals called him up.
And then, there's perhaps the most intriguing option. Right-hander Collin Balester is the Nationals' top-ranked pitching prospect, a lanky 21-year-old who is 1-1 with a 2.66 ERA at Columbus. Nationals officials expect Balester to at least appear in the majors at some point this summer.
Chico knows all those names. He wants to take care of himself.
"I go back to, just, I'm pressing way too much right now," Chico said.
Cordero, conversely, appears not to be pressing at all. His outings these days can be bizarre. Last night, he pitched in the seventh inning of a game the Nationals trailed 5-0, his first appearance since a visit with noted orthopedist James Andrews on Wednesday. His line looks fine, an inning in which he struck out two and allowed only a single. In person, though, his fastball didn't register higher than 81 mph on the scoreboard radar gun.
"I'm kind of crossing my fingers," Cordero said, "but I think the scoreboard was a little bit slow today."
Acta, though, knows Cordero's velocity is not approaching the 89-91 mph that has always been his norm. "He said he doesn't feel anything wrong with his arm, so, I'm assuming he's fine," Acta said.
Still, Cordero is still fighting to get his old job back. Acta wants to see him one more time, and hopes he throws harder, before he makes him a closer again. The way Cordero figures it, he is not making $6.2 million to mop up.
"It's different," Cordero said. "It's difficult. But this is what I have to do to get my job back, and as long as I keep going out there and throwing up zeroes, eventually I hope I'll be able to get back in there. I want to get back in there now."
In a week, check back in with the Nationals. Who knows what jobs might be available?
