Washington Nationals miss Drew Storen as Henry Rodriguez fares poor in the ninth - MLB Update
A game which many believe would never have gotten away from the Nationals if their relief pitcher was injured Drew Storen against New York Mets. This has opened questions about the kind of pressure in the ninth. It is just the pressure that took Henry Rodriguez
off from his actual strength by the time he was sent in to save for Washington.
A true reflection of him succumbing to the pressure, he threw in a manner that made it easier for the batter to bunt and allow the completion of the winning run by the Mets.
That is when the need of having Storen in this situation was seriously felt by the Nationals. His career record of 48 saves tells of how decisive he can be later in the game.
As Storen is about to have a check-up session with the doctor for his elbow, manager Davey Johnson expressed confidence in the ability of their existing relief pitcher.
Calling him no less a reliable option, he maintains Henry, apart from few minor issues, did extremely well.
“This is the first time in a pressure situation, but he’s certainly capable of doing that,” Johnson said. “I’m very pleased with Henry and where he’s at. Just one of those things.”
The fact Henry had a tremendous time in Spring Training and therefore absence of Storen was not being considered a much of an issue, all of a sudden he is in the debate again.
After the game Henry acknowledged the ninth inning pressure and appeared at odds with himself over the loss he caused to his side.
“Nobody wants to go out there in the ninth and walk the first batter,” Rodriguez said. “I feel pretty bad about myself.”
The already present powerful arms in the Nationals are the main reason not much has been said about the lack of having Storen close for the team in pressure situations.
After all, starters like Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann can easily overshadow the direction of discussion by experts on the Nationals’ rotation.
Irrespective of how Henry fared in the game, his talent is beyond doubt. One will hope that pressure he faced in the game will only prove a lesson by the time he confronts the same again.
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