Washington Nationals Mitchell Parker has a first inning problem

The Washington Nationals big southpaw has struggled early in his outings this season

After a very fast start, Mitchell Parker has struggled since the end of April. He had a 1.39 ERA through his first five starts, but now that is up to 4.44. Parker has been better his last couple starts, but he still has one massive issue. He is getting shelled in first innings.

His numbers in the first frame are ugly. For the season Parker has an ERA of 10.38 in the first inning. The fifth inning is the only other frame where he has an ERA over 4. It has become increasingly noticeable in his last three starts.

He has allowed 7 first inning runs in his last three starts, with six of them being earned. After those first inning meltdowns, Parker has found a way to lock in, only allowing one run after the first in those three starts.

However, the damage allowed in that first frame ended up costing the Nats. Parker took the loss in all three of those outings. While they were not awful starts, giving up those first inning runs is deflating, especially now with the struggling offense. Last night, when Michael Soroka gave up three first inning runs, it almost felt like the game was over.

So what can the Nats do about this, if anything? There have been suggestions about having an opener come in for Parker’s outings. Would that really help though? Parker’s first inning problems would probably just turn into second inning problems.

In my opinion, the root of Parker’s first inning woes is command based. He throws way more uncompetitive pitches early in his outings and when he does find the zone, he tends to catch a lot of the plate.

Parker is not an overpowering guy, so he needs to spot his pitches. If he is not locating, big sluggers like Eugenio Suarez will send it a long way. The crippling blow in Parker’s start against the Diamondbacks was a 466 foot blast by Suarez, who hammered a hanging splitter.

While a guy like MacKenzie Gore can sometimes get away with challenging hitters in the middle of the plate, Parker cannot. He needs to be pinpoint, dotting corners and getting hitters to expand out of the strike zone.

However, after that first inning, we have been seeing Parker get into a flow state as the game goes on. When he gets rolling, he can be a real joy to watch. He gets so many quick outs and can just fly through innings. Even with long first innings, he can get through five or six innings with a pretty low pitch count.

However, this first inning problem is real and something he needs to address. I wonder if switching up something in his warm up routine could help out. It is clear he is not ready to go out of the gates right now.

He will have another first inning test tonight as he takes the mound against the Marlins. If he can escape that first inning with a 0, we could be in for a great night. However, he needs to prove he can do that. The Nats need Parker to step up, and solving the first inning woes would go a long way.