PHILADELPHIA -- The Nationals made their first in-season acquisition to boost their bullpen. Then the relievers delivered a gritty scoreless effort against the Phillies.
Washington signed left-hander Andrew Chafin to a one-year contract on Thursday. He is expected to join the team in Cincinnati on Friday. In a corresponding move, southpaw Colin Poche was designated for assignment.
The move was made prior to the Nationals’ 4-2 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park that was secured by four scoreless innings from Jose A. Ferrer, Jorge López and Kyle Finnegan.
“Hopefully, he can help us,” said bench coach Miguel Cairo, who assumed the managerial duties as Dave Martinez attended the funeral of his longtime agent, Scott Pucino. “A new face, a lefty out of the bullpen, he has experience.”
Chafin, 34, is entering his 12th season in the Major Leagues. He signed a Minor League deal with Detroit and began this season with the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate. He went 2-0 with one save and a 2.13 ERA in 13 games (12 2/3 innings) for Toledo.
Last season, Chafin pitched 56 1/3 frames between the Rangers and Tigers, going 4-3 with a 3.51 ERA. He also has played for the D-backs, Cubs, Athletics and Brewers since being selected by Arizona as the 43rd overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft. Chafin ranks ninth among active pitchers in games played.
“He’s got a good sinker, a good four-seam and a good slider,” said first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who was teammates with Chafin on the Rangers. “He’s got a fantastic moustache. He’s going to wear his pants up high, and he’s going to go out there and he’s going to take the ball every chance he gets.
“He’s a good teammate. He’s a good guy to be around. He believes in his stuff, so it’ll be good for other bullpen guys to see what it takes to stick around as long as he has and be a pretty dominant back-end guy.”
Poche, 31, joined the Nationals on a Minor League deal after being non-tendered by the Rays in November. He made the Opening Day roster. In 13 relief appearances, Poche went 1-2 with an 11.42 ERA.
At the time of Chafin’s signing, the Nationals’ bullpen owned an MLB-worst 7.41 ERA. Finnegan and Jackson Rutledge were the only relievers with an ERA under 5.00.
But the trio of relievers halted a Phillies comeback attempt and delivered rookie right-hander Brad Lord his first career win.
“It was big,” Cairo said. “Ferrer came throwing strikes, Lord threw really well, López gets some big outs and Finnegan makes good pitches, he attacked. The first pitch [was] a strike. That’s the key, and they did that. It was nice to see a ‘W’ going into Cincinnati.”
Washington’s bullpen has felt the effects of injuries this season.
Right-hander Derek Law, who pitched a staggering 90 innings last season, has been sidelined since Spring Training because of right forearm inflammation. Righty Orlando Ribalta (No. 29 prospect) was placed on the 15-day IL on April 13 (retroactive to April 10) with a right biceps strain.
The Nationals converted Lord (No. 22 prospect) from a Minor League starter to a Major League reliever this spring. When starting right-hander Michael Soroka landed on the 15-day IL on April 4 because of a right biceps strain, Lord was moved out of the ‘pen and into the starting rotation.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in this clubhouse that was worried [about the bullpen],” Lowe said. “It was just a matter of time before the guys get their feet under them, and we got some great outs out of them tonight. That’s kind of what you expect every time they come in.
“It’s OK to believe in your teammates and understand they’re all going through something and try to find the way to be the best version of themselves. So, really happy with the result tonight.”