Washington Nationals starting pitcher Foster Griffin no longer has the high-velocity stuff that made him a first-round selection in the 2014 draft.
Instead, the 30-year-old left-hander is having a breakout season with a seven-pitch repertoire he will deploy when the Nationals open a three-game home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
A self-described “journeyman, four-A player spending time between Triple-A and the big leagues,” Griffin (8-2, 2.93 ERA) has learned to throttle back his approach and set up hitters.
“For me, I am not going for a strikeout from the start of the at-bat, I am letting it develop,” Griffin said. “If I get into an 0-2, 1-2 situation and I want to go for a kill count, and go for a swing and miss, I will. As soon as I get to even or behind, though, I am not really going for a punchout. I don’t want those free passes.”
On Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles, Griffin threw 112 pitches, allowing one unearned run on three hits and two walks while matching his career high with nine strikeouts. He didn’t factor into the decision as Washington earned a 4-3, 10-inning victory.
Griffin went 2-0 with a 1.15 ERA in five June starts. His only career start against the Pirates came on the road on April 16, a no-decision in which he gave up four runs on eight hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Nationals manager Blake Butera has quickly developed belief in Griffin.
“I appreciate every time he’s on the mound,” Butera said. “We all have a ton of confidence in Foster. He pitches his tail off for us and leaves it all out there every single time.”
Washington had Thursday off after winning two of three games at Boston. The Nationals cruised to a 10-2 victory over the Red Sox on Wednesday behind James Wood’s 22nd home run, a three-run shot in the seventh. Andres Chaparro added a two-run bomb and Nasim Nunez hit a solo shot, the first homers of the season for both players.
The Pirates are set to counter with right-hander Mitch Keller (6-5, 4.87 ERA). After going 0-3 with an 8.25 ERA in his previous five starts, Keller earned his lone win of June on Sunday, a 9-4 home decision against the Cincinnati Reds. He allowed five hits and four runs (three earned) with one walk and four strikeouts.
Keller made his second straight six-inning start, and he feels things are pointed in the right direction.
“I’m starting to feel like I am getting in a little more of a rhythm,” Keller said. “Obviously, there’s still a lot more that I can clean up and just execute a little better.”
In eight career starts against Washington, Keller is 1-4 with a 5.31 ERA. He lost 5-4 to the Nationals on April 14 in Pittsburgh after yielding five runs on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts in four innings.
The Pirates’ offense is trending in the right direction. Rookie right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez continues to establish his place in the batting order.
Pittsburgh split a four-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies this week, and Valdez was 2-for-4 with a run and three RBIs in a 6-1 win on Thursday.
Valdez homered in four consecutive games — including the series opener against the Phillies on Monday after going deep in each game of Pittsburgh’s previous three-game set against the Reds — a stretch that has highlighted his impressive start in the majors. Since his big league debut on May 22, Valdez has a .316 batting average, six homers and 15 RBIs in 19 games.
“The staff plays a big role,” Valdez said. “Even when you fail, they are right by your side. They bring the energy and give you the information you need to succeed.”
–Field Level Media
