Nate Robertson is out of the rotation and headed to the bullpen. I don’t know if being in the pen for the remainder of the year will help a pitcher who is getting shelled like this, but he couldn’t stay in the rotation either.
Robertson is fighting through something right now. I don’t know if it is mechanical, injury, or if he has completely lost it. But I’m actually a proponent of Robertson as a bullpen – and maybe even closer – candidate in the future, like next year. To that extent this could be a nice trial period.
UPDATE: While Dontrelle Willis is on the same schedule as Nate, Leyland said it wouldn’t be Willis getting the Tuesday start. Willis struggled with his command while Robertson was struggling with homers on Wednesday night. Chris Lambert is a pretty likely candidate, and last pitched on Tuesday meaning that he’d have an extra day of rest.
Also, Beck has some Robertson quotes. Nothing shocking, just an athlete saying all the right things. Trying to work on the slider…low point…understands why the skipper did it
Welcome to the majors, Chris Lambert
It has to be Lambert, doesn’t it? He’s a former first round pick that’s not getting any younger.
I think it’s probably Willis. He’s not getting younger either, and he’s getting paid a lot more. He’s also a lefty.
Leyland said it’s 100% not Willis. So in other words, it could very well be Willis.
BIG FAT LOL @ Brian. I have no idea why that comment made me laugh so hard, oh wait….now I’m crying………worst.
I’ve always thought Robertson had the mental makeup to be a closer.
Of course, now he needs to refind the stuff to be a closer.
Maybe he can be our Joe Nathan… I think it’s worth exploring.
Nate has an elbow injury. Pitcher’s don’t suddenly forget how to throw a pitch, that would be like forgetting your momma’s name. Then why can’t he get much break on his slider? I think it’s because the motion of the release hurts his arm.
My guess is that Nate Robertson will finish the year on the DL with elbow tendonitis.
An interesting hypothesis, and a clever one, since you could be right, or you could also be “right,” if they put him on the DL for an “arm injury” instead of for an arm injury. But pitching is a complicated thing…I believe even a knee or leg problem can result in the type of thing you’re describing.