Solid rehab start for Chien-Ming Wang in Harrisburg

By Byron Kerr

Nationals

August 02, 2012, 8:00pm

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A very good showing for right-hander Chien-Ming Wang (hip) Thursday in a no-decision for Double-A Harrisburg in a 4-3, 12-inning loss to the Binghamton Mets. Wang went 6 2/3 innings, scattering seven hits, three runs, a solo homer, only one walk (which was intentional) and two strikeouts. Pitching coach Paul Menhart always monitors the groundouts for his pitchers, and Wang netted 12 grounders for outs plus four flyouts. He threw 99 pitches, 65 for strikes. The Mets scored one run in the third on the solo homer and two in the seventh frame. His ERA is 3.52. We have talked many times about what an effective Wang would do to help solidify a Stephen Strasburg-less Nationals rotation. You would expect Ross Detwiler to be the fourth starter, but pitchers like Friday's Game 1 starter John Lannan and Wang will certainly get heavy consideration to take Strasburg's place down the stretch. One could also guess that if the Nationals make the postseason, they would go to a four-man rotation. In that scenario, Wang and/or Lannan could certainly play a critical role in the Nationals' run at a championship.