Haren struggles early, but seems likely to improve

With the departure of Edwin Jackson, the Nationals had a hole in their rotation to fill heading into the offseason. Jackson was the least dependable starter for the Nationals, so the team had the opportunity to bolster their already dominant rotation.

So far, Dan Haren has not lived up to the expectations of a World Series contending team.

Through two starts, Haren has done his best Chien-Ming Wang impression, racking up a 9.00 ERA. In 9.0 innings pitched, he’s allowed 19 hits, nine runs, and four homeruns. As there were several question marks surrounding Haren coming into this season, this kind of start has already made Nats’ fans very nervous.

Haren has been plagued by back and hip problems for the past two seasons. He missed a few starts last season for the Angels and his ERA bumped up to 4.33 on the season, his highest since 2004 when he was a late-season call-up. If he could put those issues behind him, based on his past success he would undoubtedly be an upgrade from Jackson. If his first start against Cincinnati was any indication, Haren still has a ways to go.

It is far too early to judge him just yet, however. Two games is an absurdly small sample size. It is important to remember that Haren’s struggles will be magnified by the fact that he plays for a team with four other very good starters, three of whom could be aces on most MLB teams. The expectations fans have for the Nationals are going to lead many to over react to Haren’s struggles, but I think there’s reason to be hopeful Haren will improve.

Haren’s first game was a disaster, there’s no way to sugarcoat it. In four innings, he gave up nine hits, six runs, and four homeruns. The Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, however, is known as a hitter’s park, partly explaining some of the homeruns he gave up. Haren’s performance also was vastly improved in his second game against the White Sox where he gave up only three runs and no homeruns in five innings. He has thrown ten strikeouts and no walks showing he has had control of his pitches. That leaves me confident that he will be able to turn things around.

Haren may have struggled to start the season, but there is plenty of time to return to form. It is definitely not time to panic Nats’ fans, Haren will be fine.