The Washington Nationals are the epitome of an unbalanced team. They lead baseball with 279 runs scored entering Thursday's game against the New York Mets, but have also allowed an MLB-high 294 runs.
That's resulted in a 25-25 record thus far, tied with the Philadelphia Philies for second place in the NL East. If the Nationals' pitching staff improves, they could challenge for a wild-card spot, as they're currently four games out of one.
Their starting rotation has been unreliable, as left-hander Foster Griffin leads the group with a 4.02 ERA. Ditto for the bullpen, as hurlers like left-hander Mitchell Parker (4.70 ERA), right-hander Paxton Schultz (5.50 ERA) and left-hander Cionel Perez (6.19 ERA) have struggled.
However, one of Washington's most effective relievers is returning, per the team.
"The Nationals have returned Clayton Beeter from his rehab assignment and reinstated him from the 15-day Injured List," it announced before Wednesday's game.
Nationals Must Decide on Closer
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Beeter hasn't made a big-league appearance since April 21 due to right forearm soreness, but he made 10 appearances before hitting the injured list. The 27-year-old is 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA and two holds, along with two saves out of four opportunities.
Beeter is one of four Washington relievers with multiple saves this season. Right-hander Gus Varland (3.86 ERA) leads the team with four, while southpaw Richard Lovelady (2.61 ERA) has three and fellow southpaw PJ Poulin (2.91 ERA) has two, respectively. If one of them separates themselves as the best option at closer over the course of the year, it'll help the bullpen maintain leads.
None of them have extensive closing experience, but Beeter did pitch effectively for the Nationals last season. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder logged a 2.49 ERA over 24 outings for Washington after it acquired him from the New York Yankees in exchange for utility player Amed Rosario.
If Beeter pitches to that level in save and/or high-leverage situations moving forward, he could establish himself as the primary closer. Regardless, the Nationals must have reliable options in each bullpen role, whether it's the closer, setup man, or middle-innings reliever.
Right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli (2-2, 4.05 ERA) will start against Mets left-handed David Peterson (2-4, 5.40 ERA) on Wednesday. After that, Washington will hit the road to face the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Guardians before hosting the San Diego Padres to finish May.
