BY RICH CAMPBELL
NEW YORK
--The Washington Nationals did not announce yesterday which pitcher will start Thursday's afternoon game against the New York Mets. The Nationals have a vacant spot in their starting rotation because Mike O'Connor was optioned to Triple-A on Sunday.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.
"I'm still in a starter's mentality," he said. "All I know is that, and ultimately I'm approaching it the same way. I'm just trying to go out there and relax, whether it be two innings or six innings or one. I'm still going out there trying to get the job done."
Schroder gives nats another bullpen option
Reliever Chris Schroder joined the Nationals prior to last night's game against the Mets. He was called up when O'Connor was optioned.
Schroder went 2-1 with three saves and a 1.26 ERA in 10 appearances for Columbus. He struck out 24 and walked six.
He is back with the Nationals for the second time this season. In two games in April, he recorded a 3.38 ERA.
Considering that the Nationals' bullpen began yesterday with a collective 4.53 ERA, the worst in the National League, Acta said Schroder could pitch in tight situations late in games.
Schroder has now been recalled from Triple-A four times since last June 19. He has another option year after this one, so his nomadic existence might not end soon.
"You kind of get used to it and keep your suitcase packed just in case," he said.
News and Notes
Acta's lineup yesterday consisted of Rob Mackowiak in left field, Lastings Milledge in center and Austin Kearns in right--the fifth different starting outfield trio in as many games.
"In the ideal world, in everybody's team, you want to have three guys out there every day," Acta said. "That's the way it's designed."
One of the team's goals this season is to discover their outfielders of the future.
"We have four guys that are relatively young [Milledge, Kearns, Wily Mo Pena and Elijah Dukes] with good upside."
Left-hander Cory VanAllen was named the Eastern League pitcher of the week. The 23-year-old prospect went 2-0 with 11 strikeouts in 12 innings for Double-A Harrisburg last week.
Rich Campbell: 540/735-1974
Email: rcampbell@freelancestar.com