How the Nationals handle the starting rotation is worth monitoring down the stretch

PHILADELPHIA — Thursday was the end of one of the tougher stretches of the Nationals’ season. Given the anxieties of the trade deadline and the exodus of top talent, the lineup the Nationals trotted out against the Phillies paled in comparison to the one they have played for the majority of the season.

Manager Blake Butera acknowledged that it’s fair to look at the season in two halves because of the distinctly different rosters. Despite the roster churn, a 1-7 road trip after Wednesday’s 7-3 loss stings for a team that has remained in the wild-card race for the majority of the season.

Right-hander Miles Mikolas, who reached 10 years of service time, struggled immensely. He allowed seven doubles and six runs on 12 hits over five innings. Mikolas lived in the strike zone, but he left a lot of hittable pitches over the heart of the plate and the Phillies capitalized on them.

It’s fair to wonder how long Mikolas’ leash will be from now on with the possibly of incorporating players from Triple-A Rochester. Butera said before the game that Connelly Early’s recovery from elbow inflammation had been paused because the left-hander felt forearm tightness during his live BP session.

“From what I’ve been told, it’s not super concerning, but he did feel a little tight, so we decided to play it on the safe side,” Butera said.

Who takes the ball for the Nationals the rest of the season is one of the more intriguing storylines. The team designated struggling veteran Zack Littell for assignment Wednesday when Brad Lord was reinstated from the 15-day injured list.

Among pitchers with at least 100 innings, Littell was tied for the 11th-highest ERA (4.97). Signing him was supposed to provide insurance for the Nationals’ young pitching group. Throughout his career, Littell has shown the ability to eat innings, which he did for the Nationals. But the production wasn’t sufficient.

Mikolas saw his ERA rise from 5.67 to 5.89. Entering Thursday, the Nationals had a 1.3% chance of clinching a wild-card spot and their starters had the third-highest ERA in the majors (5.18). With Foster Griffin now in Cleveland, the rotation has one pitcher who can be counted on, and even Cade Cavalli’s lengthy injury history is enough to cause pessimism.

It’s possible that Triple-A pitchers Luis Perales (acquired from Boston in the Jake Bennett trade), and Jackson Kent (fourth-round pick in 2024) could get major league starts.

Perales, the organization’s 10th-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, has a 3.44 ERA across 20 games (17 starts) at Triple-A. He has impressive velocity on his fastball and has drastically cut down on his walk rate with 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Kent, the eighth-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has increased his extension this season with help from the pitching coaches. Increasing his extension shortens the distance and time hitters have to react to pitches. That, combined with increased velocity, has allowed Kent to succeed at Triple-A. He’s posting a 4.38 ERA across 13 starts, with a 25% strikeout rate and a 8.2% walk rate.

Getting either of them starts this year would aid their readiness for next season, when they should be ready to impact the major league team. How the Nationals go about configuring their pitching staff the rest of this season is worth monitoring.