“We talk about that with him all the time: attack the strike zone, attack the strike zone," Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said of A.J. Cole, before demoting him to the bullpen.
On Wednesday night, he entered the game in an unenviable position for any pitcher, with the bases full of Mets and slugger Yoenis Cespedes at the plate.
After working a quick 0-2 count, Cole attacked the strike zone one more time and got to watch the ball go a long way over the left field wall:
Yoenis Cespedes LAUNCHES a Grand Slam and busts it open, 11-4 Mets! -------- pic.twitter.com/cAHqnUf4hM
— SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) April 19, 2018The Nats were already trailing, but this was the mighty blow that sealed the team's defeat on Wednesday.
At some point, you really have to feel for Cole.
When he tries to be too fine and pitches too much off the corners, his teammates and coaches lament that he won't attack the strike zone.
When he attacks the strike zone against one of the more dangerous hitters in the division, he gives up a grand slam.
This is beginning to resemble a rock and a hard place for both the player and team.
Cole needs confidence and repetition pitching at the big league level. He is out of minor league options and needs to deliver on the promise he has already shown in the minors.
So far this season, he has been shelled as a starter, skipped in the rotation, replaced in the rotation, and relegated to a fireman's role in the bullpen. Even if he is needed in a tired and struggling bullpen, it's odd to see him used in this scenario.
Starters transitioning to the bullpen aren't accustomed to entering a game with runners on base, which immediately causes them to pitch out the stretch and in an emergency.
Bringing in a struggling starter to pitch out of the bullpen with the bases loaded on the road against Cespedes does not seem like a confidence-building move.
It will be interesting to see how he is used next.
Follow Brian Tinsman and 106.7 The Fan on Twitter.
