FREDERICK, Md. — Before Wednesday night, Washington Nationals right-hander Aaron Barrett had not started a game since 2010, when he was a rookie with the short-season Vermont Lake Monsters. So as he prepared to pitch the first inning for Single-A Potomac, he tried to keep everything as normal as possible.
Barrett stretched before Wednesday’s game as if he were entering it in relief. He warmed up briskly, mimicking his usual routine. He even asked Potomac manager Tripp Keister to make a fake call to the bullpen.
“I just basically tried to treat it like a relief outing,” Barrett said.