Paolo Espino has been a reliable part of the bullpen or the rotation over the last few years, stepping in where needed and doing solid work for the Nationals, but he struggled in last week’s outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the nation’s capital, giving up five hits, one walk, and four earned runs in 4 1⁄3 innings pitched before he was lifted by Davey Martinez.
“Espino just — we talk about Espino, how good he is, and we had to be careful because all of a sudden his role changed and he’s been going every five days.