Joe “Cool” Ross pitched another gem on Thursday night. A 1 hitter on a bunt single with no earned runs. Ross dropped his ERA to 3.24. Now only Scherzer (2.79 ERA) ranks ahead of Ross in ERA in the starting rotation followed by JZim at 3.54. Gio is at 4.11, and Strasburg is at 4.14 and it would be no surprise to see Strasburg move below 3.99 after his next start as Strasburg looks like a different pitcher in the 2nd half.
Strasburg leads the Nats in 2nd half ERA at 1.73 and Scherzer is the worst in the 2nd half at 5.08. Sample sizes aren’t large for either but Scherzer will start his 8th game in the 2nd half and he just hasn’t been the same, but we will see how a few extra days of rest affects Scherzer in his Friday night start.
Our 2nd half rankings of the starters is 1. Strasburg 2. Ross 3. JZim 4. Scherzer 5. Gio We also believe that Joe Ross has pitched better than his stats because he has been victimized at times by some questionable defense on the road in San Francisco and in Los Angeles. Joe Ross has a home ERA this season of 2.15 and that is the best on the team as Scherzer is at 3.11 at Nats Park.
What could the Nats 2016 rotation look like? Has to start with Scherzer, Strasburg, Ross, Gio, and possibly Roark or a Free Agent or a trade. Could an improved AJ Cole find a way in? Could Gio find a trade out of Washington? Could Strasburg who is in his last year before Free Agency become a trade chip? Expect the unexpected with Mike Rizzo.
