Sean Doolittle pitches against the San Francisco Giants. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nationals PR) – The Washington Nationals acquired right-handed pitcher Ryan Madson and left-handed pitcher Sean Doolittle in exchange for right-handed pitcher Blake Treinen, Minor League left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo and Minor League infielder Sheldon Neuse.
Doolittle, 30, has yet to allow a hit to a left-handed batter in 23 appearances this season. He was the 2006 ACC Player of the Year at UVA. Left-handed batters are 0-for-23 with 12 strikeouts and no walks against him. On the season, he is 1-0 with three saves and a 3.38 ERA (8 ER/21.1 IP). He has struck out 31 batters, walked just two and has posted a 0.66 walks/hits per innings pitched. While he falls just short of qualifying to be among league leaders, Doolittle’s strikeouts per 9.0 innings (13.08), walks per 9.0 innings (0.84), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (15.50) all rank among the best in Major League Baseball.
A veteran of six Major League seasons, Doolittle has recorded 36 saves – including a career-high 22 in 2014 – and a 3.09 ERA in 254 career games. He has struck out 300 batters in 253.0 innings pitched and has issued just 47 walks in his career. Since 2012, his 1.67 walks/9.0 innings ranks first among all Major League left-handed relievers and eighth among all Major League relievers.
A Washington Nationals cap and glove in the dug out.
(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Madson, 36, owns a 2.06 ERA (9 ER/39.1 IP) and ranks in the top ten among Major League relievers in walks/hits per innings pitched (7th, 0.79), walks per 9.0 innings (8th, 1.37), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (9th, 6.50) in 40 appearances for the Oakland Athletics in 2017. He has secured 14 holds, one save and has struck out 39 batters while walking six and surrendering just two home runs along the way. Over his last 13 outings, Madson has allowed just one earned run in 14.0 IP (0.64 ERA) while recording five holds and 12 strikeouts. He has not walked a batter during this stretch and has not allowed any of the seven runners he’s inherited to score.
A reliable member of Oakland’s bullpen the last two seasons – and Kansas City in 2015 – Madson led the Athletics and ranked ninth in the American League with 30 saves in 2016. Since 2015, he has posted a 2.69 ERA, 34 saves, 37 holds in 171 appearances out of the bullpen. He has struck out 7.85 batters per nine innings, recorded a 3.65 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.05 walks/hits per innings pitched.
Treinen, 29, was 8-11 with a 3.39 ERA in 185 games for the Nationals from 2014-2017. The hard-throwing sinkerballer led all Major League relievers in coaxing double plays from his opponent in 2016 with 17 and entered Sunday’s game ranked second in MLB for the 2017 season in that category. Acquired from the A’s in January, 2013, Treinen was a seventh-round selection of the A’s in the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Luzardo, 19, is 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA (2 ER/13.2 IP) in three starts for the GCL Nationals. He was originally selected in the third round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft.
Neuse, 22, is hitting .291 with 19 doubles, three triples, nine homers, 51 RBI, 25 walks and 40 runs scored in 77 games for Single-A Hagerstown in 2017. He was selected by Washington in the second round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft.
