Who's No. 5? Don't ask Nats

Nationals notebook

Date published: 5/13/2008

BY RICH CAMPBELL

NEW YORK

Left-hander Matt Chico, who was demoted from the rotation to the bullpen last Wednesday following seven largely ineffective starts, is a candidate to fill the void.

"It's really not up to me," Chico said. "I just want to pitch. Wherever they want to throw me, that's fine with me."

Chico (0-5, 6.42 ERA) pitched out of the bullpen on Friday and Saturday, combining for four innings and 85 pitches. His arm was sore Sunday, and he said before last night's game that he did not feel 100 percent.

"I've never thrown back to back, let alone been a reliever," Chico said. "Back to back two innings each day, it's a lot tougher than it looks."

Manager Manny Acta was asked how much rest Chico would need in order to start Thursday.

"Chico is in the bullpen right now," he said.

Chico went 0-5 with a 6.87 ERA as a starter. He is averaging 3.54 walks per nine innings, compared to his 3.99 average last season.

"I want to see more strikes," Acta said. "In the first [bullpen] outing that he had, he had a couple of deep counts. That's what we want him to do. Be more aggressive in the strike zone so he can be able to use his secondary pitches.

"It's not about throwing strikes. It's about throwing quality strikes. This game, when it comes to pitching, usually comes down to who can throw a fastball low and away at the end of the day. Because if you look at every scouting report, [it's a] tough pitch to hit, low and away."

Acta said it's too early to determine whether Chico is an improved pitcher coming out the bullpen.

Chico, meanwhile, still considers himself a starter. He's been watching video on Mets hitters in case he is needed out of the bullpen, so he believes starting Thursday wouldn't be a difficult adjustment.

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Date published: 5/13/2008