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The fifth start of the year for Jason Marquis looked a lot like the first four: Ugly.
He allowed five runs in four-plus innings, giving up seven hits and three homers. Miguel Batista hasn't been much better in relief, and the Nationals trail 8-2 after six innings.
Marquis got through the first inning without any trouble, but looked like he was throwing batting practice the rest of the way. He couldn't keep his sinker down again, and even the Diamondbacks' flyouts were long ones. They had two doubles in addition to three homers, and three long flyouts in the first three innings.
The question now becomes - and I'll have plenty more on this later - what do you do with Marquis? The Nationals have $7.5 million tied up in him next year, so do they eat the cost, or hope he becomes a serviceable starter again? They can probably give him a couple starts to right himself - or prove he's got some value to another team after the season. But when Jordan Zimmermann gets here, I wouldn't be surprised to see him out of the rotation.
