This past Sunday the Nationals deployed an unusual strategy with their pitching. After Jake Irvin pitched five and a third strong innings, Mitchell Parker pitched a full three and two-third innings to close out the game for the Nationals and secure a 3–2 win against the high-powered Mets offense. Even though Parker is finishing the season as a reliever, the deployment of Irvin and Parker in this manner makes sense as a consistent strategy for the Nationals moving forward.
The Nationals should intentionally plan on using a “piggyback” pitching strategy to begin next season.