Nationals Activate Richard Lovelady, Option Intriguing Right-Hander
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The Washington Nationals will likely shuffle things around in their bullpen for the remainder of the season or until they find a group that can consistently record outs.
One of the most recent moves they made was trading for Richard Lovelady. They sent cash to the New York Mets to get this done, as the front office decided to reunite with a reliever who they had in spring camp before he was designated for assignment to make room for a separate roster addition.
Now, the left-hander is getting his shot to pitch for the Nationals. Per an announcement from the team, they activated Lovelady ahead of the start of their series against the San Francisco Giants. The corresponding move was to option right-handed reliever Orlando Ribalta to Triple-A Rochester.
Nationals Now Carrying Four Lefties in Their Bullpen
When Washington acquired Lovelady, it seemed like Mitchell Parker could be sent back down to the minors. Parker was recalled in a piggyback situation during their set against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he seemed like a logical candidate to get optioned so he could continue being utilized as a starting pitcher down on the farm.
But following the decision to option Ribalta, not only does that keep Parker on the roster for the time being, it also means the Nationals are carrying four lefties in their bullpen with Lovelady, Parker, PJ Poulin and Cionel Perez. Manager Blake Butera has been pretty aggressive when it comes to attacking splits, so this gives him more arms to choose from for this strategy.
Lovelady, 30, posted a 3.68 ERA across six appearances with the Mets this season. He struck out six batters and walked four across 7 1/3 innings of work. But he was more effective against lefties than righties, as he has struck out three without issuing a walk in those matchups. For his career, he has a 3.94 ERA against left-handers across 52 2/3 innings compared to his cumulative ERA of 5.25. So he likely will be primarily used in those situations.
Orlando Ribalta Will Get More Work in the Minors
As for Ribalta, this news is probably disappointing since he's coming off his first career MLB save on Thursday that secured a series split against the Pirates. He also has appeared in two games for the Nationals this season and has only allowed one hit and no earned runs.
The right-hander will now get more work in the minors, which is where he's thrived. Across 149 appearances, he has a 3.31 ERA with 216 strikeouts and 100 walks in 187 2/3 innings pitched. That success has made him an intriguing figure when it comes to Washington's bullpen. But he struggled last year with a 7.03 ERA in 22 appearances.
The Nationals are hoping Ribalta can figure it out at the major league level at some point. And it seemed like he was on his way to doing that based on his first two outings this season. However, they are going to give him more work in Triple-A as they give Lovelady a chance to carve out a role.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai