Nationals Manager Blake Butera Takes Blame for Bullpen Management
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Prior to Tuesday's game, Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera had some interesting comments about what has been taking place with the team's bullpen.
Earlier in the day, the Nationals announced that another roster move had been made when it comes to their relief staff, as left-hander Matt Krook -- who has an ERA above 17.00 this season -- was activated to replace right-hander Cole Henry. A day prior, Henry was recalled after right-hander Eddy Yean was optioned back to Triple-A Rochester following his strong major league debut on July 5. Those moves were made due to the high pitch counts of Yean and Henry, which caused them to be unavailable for a couple of games.
Butera has accepted blame when it comes to his role in the situation, and he said ahead of Tuesday's contest that things will start to change.
Blake Butera Says He Misused Cole Henry Against Astros
"I will 100 percent wear Cole Henry's poor second inning last night," Butera stated, per Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic. "I think, to be very transparent and truthful, I think we did Cole a disservice because we didn't have him throw multiple innings at Triple-A."
On Monday, the right-hander was dominant in the seventh inning. He produced a three up, three down frame where he struck out two batters. If that was all he was asked to do, the conversation about Henry would have been different than it was when the game finished. Because Butera called upon Henry again in the eighth inning, and that time, he was tagged for four earned runs and made Washington's lead go from 12-7 to 12-11.
Butera did add that guys are called up from Rochester because the Nationals need coverage in their bullpen. That was the case on Monday, too, which is why he sent Henry out for the eighth since their "bullpen was thin" and they "needed two innings" out of the 26-year-old. That puts the skipper in a tricky spot since he's trying to win every game they can. And that's why Washington is having conversations about how they can better prepare their Triple-A arms to have the workload they are going to face when they are pitching for the Nationals.
Nationals Figuring Out Best Path Forward for Their Pitching Staff
What makes this situation complicated is the fact that Triple-A's roster is much bigger than Washington's, so both sides are balancing how to keep their minor league guys sharp while also keeping them ready in case they are needed in the majors. That makes it challenging for them to start stretching a few guys into multi-innings relievers, but it's something that needs to happen if they are going to continue using their bullpen in the fashion that they have this season.
The All-Star break can't come soon enough for the Nationals, as that will give their current arms some much-needed rest that will hopefully allow that unit to get off to a strong start in the second half.
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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