​The Nationals’ reliance on platoon matchups has tripped them up more than once this season, and last night provided the clearest illustration. In a 3-2 game in the top of the ninth, Blake Butera chose to bring in left-hander Matt Krook instead of sticking with Clayton Beeter. Krook, who carries a lifetime ERA above 16, surrendered the lead by serving up a home run to left-handed Jazz Chisholm. I’m not sure what framework Blake Butera is using for these decisions, but last night calls for serious reflection. He needs to prioritize his best relievers over options based on handedness alone. Going forward, Butera cannot be plugging a high-ERA reliever into the ninth inning just because of a matchup.
After the game, Butera defended his call by saying he brought in Krook because of the three left-handed or switch hitters that were due up. He explained that he preferred Krook to the more reliable PJ Poulin because of the matchup with the switch-hitting Jasson Dominguez. Krook did allow a single to Dominguez and then a homer to Jazz Chisholm, who actually fares worse against left-handed pitching.
I have admired much of what Butera and the new regime have accomplished, but their bullpen management hasn’t always shined. Jose A. Ferrer would have been a reasonable left-handed option in the ninth, but he was traded for Harry Ford, a player currently struggling in Triple-A. And Butera himself has sometimes misfired in guiding a bullpen that isn’t backing him up with overwhelming depth. There have been plenty of times when you could excuse a blowup as a casualty of a faltering bullpen, but last night isn’t one of those moments. It felt like the Yankees were within reach after Clayton Beeter struck out the side to end the eighth. Beeter, who hadn’t allowed a run in his previous seven outings, would come back for the ninth, and the crowd would have been cheering.
Butera chose to chase matchups rather than rely on his best arm. Beeter isn’t a poor option against left-handed hitters; lefties are hitting just .200 against him this season and .198 in his career. Beeter’s slider is a platoon-neutral weapon that works against both lefties and righties. Yet Butera believed Krook was the right call, and it backfired. Looking ahead, the Nationals should lean into their own strengths rather than fixating on opponents’ weaknesses. Yes, some Yankees hitters struggle against left-handed pitching, but the left-handers they’ll face generally are more formidable than Krook.
At present, the Nationals’ bullpen features four soft-tossing lefties of limited depth. Three of them pitched yesterday, and while Palmquist and Cosgrove performed adequately, Krook did not. Going forward, I hope Butera manages based on his own personnel rather than reacting to every perceived matchup. A telling moment came after the game when Butera described his rationale, underscoring a broader trend that fans and observers notice: the imperative to utilize the bullpen in a way that aligns with the team’s genuine strengths, rather than chasing the latest strategic narrative.