Another rough start could leave Ross' job in jeopardy (updated)

For weeks, these two questions have loomed over the Nationals: When will Stephen Strasburg return from a shoulder injury, and who will lose his spot in the rotation once he does?

As this seven-game road trip to Arizona and Chicago progressed, the answer to the first question became clear: Strasburg would be ready to come off the 10-day injured list Friday to start the Nats' homestand opener against the Orioles.

The answer to the second question has become a bit more complicated, not because of performance but because of circumstances out of anyone's control.

When Erick Fedde had to be placed on the COVID-19 IL on Wednesday after the vaccinated right-hander learned he had tested positive for the coronavirus, the decision to activate Strasburg and slide him directly into that rotation slot became obvious. But when Fedde (who is asymptomatic) is cleared to return, it's going to be difficult to argue he doesn't deserve to rejoin the rotation in favor of Joe Ross, who once again struggled during today's 5-2 loss to the Cubs.

With 3 2/3 laborious innings of work this afternoon at Wrigley Field, Ross endured through his second straight ragged outing. Eight starts into his season, the 27-year-old now owns a 2-4 record and 5.72 ERA.

"Every mistake he made today, they capitalized on," manager Davey Martinez said during his postgame Zoom session with reporters. "He got the ball up a couple times, and they were able to put the bat on the ball in big situations. And then he gets himself in a hole. He's got to keep the ball down in the strike zone."

Fedde (3-4, 4.85 ERA) hasn't exactly been consistent himself, but he's at least coming off a dominant start in Arizona, perhaps the best of his career. At the moment, he seems to give his team a better chance of winning than Ross, who this afternoon was handed a 2-0 lead but gave it back and more in short order.

The day began in encouraging fashion, with back-to-back blasts by two of the lineup's most important figures. When Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber each took Cubs starter Trevor Williams deep to the opposite field for a quick 2-0 lead, it represented the latest example of both sluggers' recent progress at the plate.

At that point, Bell and Schwarber were batting a combined .347 (17-for-49) with five homers, 14 RBIs and a .448 on-base percentage over their last seven games. If you've been waiting for the heart of the Nationals lineup to produce, here was your evidence.

"We've got to get going," said Bell, still batting only .176 with a .605 OPS despite the recent surge. "It's time. I feel like it's been time for a little bit. He and I know we're here for a reason. We're here to drive the baseball, to drive in runs. And for that first stretch there, we struggled with that. I think this next month, we can turn things around and get on a winning streak and start driving the baseball the way we know we can. If we can do that, that's when we're going to see a lot more W's."

Alas, today's production wasn't accompanied by much of anything else. Though they put eight runners on base through the game's first five innings, the Nats didn't bring any others home, continuing a disturbing trend for the season that has seen them rank near the top of the league in batting average but near the bottom in batting average with runners in scoring position.

"Two big homers to start the top of the first; I thought we were going to get something going and continue to keep it going," Martinez said. "And then our bats went dormant."

Two runs of support isn't going to be enough for most starters, and it certainly isn't enough right now for Ross, whose feel-good April has given way to a frustrating May that could cost him his spot in the rotation.

On the heels of a ragged outing in which he was charged with eight runs against the Diamondbacks, Ross seemed to find himself trying to pitch out of trouble all afternoon. Of the 19 batters he faced, 10 came with at least one runner on base.

Ross nearly avoided significant damage, but he was done in by a sequence in the bottom of the third that saw Starlin Castro mishandle a hot shot to third by Javier Báez for a two-out error. Ross then left a 2-2 changeup over the plate to Ian Happ, who lofted it down the right field line and over the fence for a two-run homer and a 3-2 Cubs lead.

"I wanted to throw it, and the first pitch (catcher Alex Avila) called, I would've shaken to it," Ross said. "But I just caught a bit too much plate. I was trying to be down and away, it was more middle and away. And then he just poked it out to right field, and the ball was traveling pretty well today. Unfortunte with two outs there after the error."

By the bottom of the fourth, Ross was on fumes. He allowed a two-out RBI single to Joc Pederson to make it 4-2, and with his pitch count already up to 78, he was pulled on the spot.

Now comes decision time for the Nationals. Ross isn't helping his case. And the fact that both he and Fedde are out of minor league options doesn't help anybody.

On the bright side, Strasburg is coming back. He will start Friday night against the Orioles, perhaps injecting some excitement into a 17-23 ballclub that sorely needs a spark.

"It's huge," Bell said. "I saw what he was doing in (spring training). I've faced him for years now. In my mind, I think he's got the best changeup in the league. ... He's going to be able to come out and throw multiple innings, work deep in games, get a lot of early contact and keep us off our feet on defense. We're all thumbs-up, smiles, knowing he's going to start here soon."