It is clear that Patrick Corbin is not working out with the Washington Nationals. That contract may have helped the franchise win its first championship in 2019 but the returns have continually diminished since. At this point, Corbin is unusable for anything other than batting practice for the opposition. His appearances result in inflated batting lines and players getting closer to their incentives.
And yet, the Nationals keep sending him to the mound. However, in the wake of his latest six run, two out implosion, it seemed as though logic was beginning to prevail. According to Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports, manager Dave Martinez said that the Nationals would skip Corbin’s next start.
Washington Nationals just will not learn with Patrick Corbin
That’s progress, right? Well…no. Martinez also said that Corbin will make his next start on Tuesday after working with pitching coach Jim Hickey. He is looking for positives with Corbin moving forward because he says that the embattled pitcher will be part of their rotation for the next two years.
At this point, getting out of the first inning would be a positive for Corbin. He has failed to even that in two of his previous three outings. Then again, as Corbin is literally in the midst of a historically awful season, as he would be the fourth pitcher since 1901 to have an ERA over 7.00 and qualify for the title.
One can understand why the Nationals are refusing to realize the reality of the situation. Corbin is due approximately $59 million over the next two seasons no matter what happens. Trying to find a way to get anything out of that deal makes some degree of sense.
And so the Nationals will keep doing what they have been. Corbin will work with coaches during his bullpen sessions. They will say all the right things, how he had a strong session and Corbin will claim that he feels great. And then he will get shelled once again. It is the definition of insanity at this point.
The Washington Nationals are still hoping Patrick Corbin can help this year and beyond. They just will not learn their lessons.