Ogasawara to get one more spring start before decision is made

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Shinnosuke Ogasawara will get one last shot to face major league hitters in a spring training before the Nationals make a final decision on the identity of their No. 5 starter to begin the season.

Ogasawara, who has struggled to date in his first camp since signing with the Nats from Japan, was moved to a back field to start a minor league game Saturday while Mitchell Parker took the mound inside CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches to face the Mets.

Parker proceeded to put together his second straight solid outing, allowing one run over five innings despite four walks on 76 pitches. Ogasawara, meanwhile, threw 53 pitches over five innings in the minor league game, with club officials noting progress from the left-hander compared to his four Grapefruit League starts.

With only one week left before the team heads north, there’s only one start day left for both Parker and Ogasawara in Florida. Though Parker seems to have taken the lead in the competition, the Nationals will give Thursday’s start against the Mets to Ogasawara and have Parker face minor leaguers this time.

“Shinno threw over there, got some good work in, so we wanted to see him pitch in a big league game,” manager Davey Martinez said. “And Parker pitched really well. He’s going to go down there, and we’re going to try to stretch him into about 85 pitches. But we can control his workload.”

Ogasawara is probably going to have to show much more in this final start than he did in previous ones if he wants to convince the Nats he should make the Opening Day roster. In his four official starts, he sports a 7.56 ERA and 2.520 WHIP.

Parker, meanwhile, has a 3.65 ERA and 1.216 WHIP in four Grapefruit League games (two of them starts).

DJ Herz, the third contender for the fifth starter’s job, appears to be out of the immediate running after a disappointing spring that has not only seen him produce poor results (6.52 ERA, 1.966 WHIP in four games, three starts) but also experience a drop in velocity. Herz has attributed that to a lack of adrenaline and noted he has dealt with this every spring since he was drafted by the Cubs.

Asked what the plan now is for Herz, Martinez said he didn’t know for sure yet but added it will almost certainly come on a back field and not in an official game.

“Everything he does, all the reports we’re getting in the training room, (says) his strength’s good, everything’s good,” Martinez said. “Last year, and from talking to him, his velo is always down in spring training. He said he recovered a lot better, as far as fatigue and arm soreness, after his last outing. So he threw a good bullpen the other day. He was pleased, we were pleased. We’ll see what he does his next outing. But I told him 'Somehow, some way, we’ve got to get you up to about 85 pitches the next outing.'”

The upcoming pitching plan does offer a good hint at the Nationals’ plan to enter the season. MacKenzie Gore will start Monday against the Cardinals, which lines him up for the Opening Day assignment against the Phillies. Trevor Williams pitches Tuesday against the Astros, which lines him up for the off-day following the season opener and thus likely makes him the actual fifth starter to begin the season.

Jake Irvin starts Wednesday against the Cardinals, which sets him up for the second game of the season. With both Ogasawara and Parker pitching Thursday, either will be set up to start the Nats’ third game of the season. And Michael Soroka, who starts today against the Rays and again Friday against the Marlins, will be lined up for the season’s fourth game (at the Blue Jays).