Nats' Rosenthal ends record-tying streak of appearances without an out
Washington Nationals reliever Trevor Rosenthal struck out Philadelphia Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp on Wednesday to snap his MLB record-tying streak of consecutive appearances without recording an out.
The ugly stretch dated back to his final outing with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017. Rosenthal missed the 2018 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The right-hander failed to retire the first 10 batters he faced this season before finally registering his first out of 2019 in his fifth appearance. The 28-year-old loaded the bases with three walks in the ninth inning, but he got Maikel Franco to ground out, and Aaron Altherr to fly out to end the game. He now owns a 72.00 ERA this season.
Rosenthal did manage to reach another level of futility despite ending the streak. He became the first pitcher to record his first out of a season in his fifth appearance, according to baseball statistician Ryan Spaeder.
Following the game, Nationals manager Dave Martinez was asked what he wants Rosenthal to take from the outing.
"He got three outs. That’s the key.” Martinez said, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN.
On Tuesday, Martinez said the team would use the former closer in lower-pressure situations. A day later, the Nationals brought him into the game while holding a 15-0 lead over the Phillies.
Washington signed Rosenthal this past winter to a one-year, $8-million contract with a mutual option for 2020.
He's recorded 121 career saves and made the All-Star team in 2015. Rosenthal posted a 2.99 ERA in 325 innings over six seasons with St. Louis.