PHOENIX – Riley Cornelio has put the struggles of his Major League debut behind him, and he is ready for a fresh start – out of the Nationals’ bullpen.
The Nats recalled Cornelio from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday after optioning right-hander Cole Henry to the Red Wings. Cornelio joined the team for Sunday’s series finale in Phoenix, a 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks, six weeks after his first big league appearance.
“I definitely felt a little bit more, like, relief [this time],” Cornelio said. “Like, OK, I feel like I’m really ready.”
On Sunday, manager Blake Butera called on Cornelio to pitch the sixth and seventh innings in relief of starter Cade Cavalli. Cornelio began his outing by walking Pavin Smith and allowing a double to Ryan Waldschmidt. He then retired the next three batters, inducing a Geraldo Perdomo groundout to first base, a LuJames Groover pop up to Keibert Ruiz in foul territory and a Tommy Troy groundout to the mound.
The next frame, Cornelio had to work through a bases-loaded jam. With one out, he walked Corbin Carroll, gave up a line-drive single to Gabriel Moreno and walked Nolan Arenado. Cornelio worked a 1-2 count to Smith, then avoided major damage with a long sacrifice fly to the warning track. He held the D-backs to just one run by striking out Waldschmidt in a two-out, 2-2 count.
“I thought the stuff was really good,” Butera said after the loss. “... The focus for Riley is, he has really good stuff. We want him to attack the zone. He’s got to throw strikes. These hitters – whether you’re walking guys or even just behind in the count – they’re going to capitalize, no matter how good [his] stuff is.”
Cornelio’s April 24 debut has become a learning lesson for the 26-year-old righty. A starter all of his career, Cornelio pitched two innings of relief against the White Sox. He allowed three runs (two earned) off two hits and four walks while striking out one batter. Cornelio was charged with the loss and was optioned back to Rochester after that game.
“Part of the thought process of last time was, we told him he was coming out for one outing, basically just to give him a chance to dip his toe in the water before he comes up here – hopefully longer-term,” Butera said. “ … He's got a chance to see the big leagues already, [and] he's got a chance to pitch out the bullpen. So hopefully this time, there's some more confidence and things are a little bit slower for him.”
After being optioned back to Rochester in April, Cornelio appeared in seven games with the Red Wings. Of those, he made five starts, pitched 4 2/3 innings behind an opener and – most recently on Tuesday – worked the fifth and sixth innings out of the bullpen.
Pitching flexibility is valued by the Nationals’ staff. Many of their relievers this season, including Brad Lord and Mitchell Parker, came up in the pros as starting pitchers.
“Right now, we have our rotation set,” Butera said. “So the next thought process is, how do we get our next-best starters chances to still get multiple innings? … It’s just an opportunity for him to come in, and it's not necessarily starting the game, but it's still giving us some length. At the end of the day, when you look at the end of the year, you want to see our best pitchers with as many innings as possible.”
Cornelio heads to San Francisco with the Nationals after an encouraging return to the Majors.
“I think his heart rate was a lot lower this time than in Chicago,” said Butera.