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If there's a silver lining in Jason Marquis' mostly-bleak return to the majors, it's that almost all of the damage done against him was in his ugly first inning. But after the Nationals pulled within two runs in the second inning, Marquis allowed another run by giving up a hit to A.J. Ellis, the Dodgers' No. 8 hitter who is currently batting .204. It's 5-3 Dodgers in the top of the sixth.
Marquis lasted four-plus innings, arguing to keep himself in the game by marching to the batter's box immediately after Wil Nieves' double in the top of the fifth. But he hit Ryan Theriot with a pitch on the first at-bat of the fifth, and manager Jim Riggleman pulled him there.
He went just four innings, and still has yet to last longer than 4 1/3 innings in four starts this year. At times today, his sinker looked solid, but he didn't control it well enough, and his curveball wasn't tight enough. If he keeps this up, it will be very interesting to watch how the Nationals handle him. His $7.5 million salary next season gives them precious little flexibility, but at some point, they might have to make some expensive decisions.
