Message #233768

[ronnynat]

BP's preview of this game:

Matchup: Giants (27-35) at Nationals (25-38), 1:35 p.m. ET

Probable Starters: Barry Zito (61 1/3 IP, 6.90 RA, 1.84 WHIP, 33 K) vs. Garrett Mock (61 2/3, 3.50, 1.22, 51 in Triple-A)

Pythagorean Record: San Francisco, 28-34 (253 RS, 284 RA); Washington, 23-40 (230 RS, 308 RA)

Hit List Rankings: San Francisco, #25; Washington, #30

Prospectus: Another rookie making his big league debut, Mock was acquired by the Nationals from Arizona in the deal that netted the D'backs Livan Hernandez. He was not one of Kevin Goldstein's Top 11 Nats prospects thanks to a performance at Double-A that dropped his stock considerably. He was however considered by Goldstein to be the sleeper in the system thanks to a solid showing the Arizona Fall League. After making the move to Triple-A, Mock has improved considerably; last year, Mock struck out 7.2 hitters per nine, and this season he's bumped that up to 7.4 despite a level jump, but more importantly he's cut his walks considerably from 4.9 BB/9 to a nifty 1.9. That, when combined with his pace for 16 homers allowed over 200 innings, has resulted in a 3.06 ERA and a trip to the majors.

The Nationals are in dire need of a young pitcher who can step up and fill the role as staff ace. Matt Chico led the club in innings last season, but he's a back of the rotation guy. John Lannan has made strides this year, but he's not an overpowering pitcher, instead earning his outs by inducing grounders and relying on his defense to limit the opposition. The combination of Mock and Lannan at the top of the rotation would provide some promise for a Nats team that's in rebuilding mode, and certainly would be more appealing as a building block than the Odalis Perez/Tim Redding combo currently atop the depth chart.