Balester struggles with control

VIERA, Fla. -- The box score read that Nationals right-hander Collin Balester pitched three shutout innings in a 3-0 loss to the Tigers on Sunday afternoon. But the truth is, Balester struggled.

After throwing seven pitches in the first inning, Balester threw 56 pitches in the next two frames. His worst inning came in the third. Balester was able to get a quick first out, but he then walked three out of the next four batters. He was able to get out of the jam, however, by getting Ryan Rayburn to ground out.

"He started real good and then lost command of his fastball," manager Manny Acta said. "But you have to give him credit. He came back from a 3-0 count with the bases loaded, threw three strikes and got [Rayburn out]."

Balester is aware he is fighting an uphill battle in his bid for a rotation spot. After Sunday's action, Balester has a 6.55 ERA and six walks over 11 innings

Balester is competing against right-handers Shawn Hill, Shairon Martis and Jordan Zimmermann for one of the final two spots in the rotation. Martis and Zimmermann have pitched brilliantly, while Hill has been out for most of the spring due to right forearm tightness.

An hour after his outing, Balester, 22, was upbeat, telling the media that he has to pitch better.

"It's early in spring, and I'm working on stuff," Balester said. "It's no excuse on why I'm not doing too well. You have to keep your head up and work hard. I've been working hard. Sometimes, it just doesn't fall into place. You just believe it's going to come around, and I know it will."

However, Triple-A Syracuse manager Tim Foli saw a different side of Balester after his outing. Balester was clearly upset about his performance. Foli ended up acting like a father trying to give his son encouragement.

"He was really down because he wants to pitch in the big leagues right now, and he will," Foli said. "He is a big league pitcher. All I told him was, 'Maybe it was a blessing these things are happening and you can figure them out.'

"He is going to be a star. He's young. I told him, 'The youngness shows sometimes, not being able to make the adjustments.' He will be able to make the adjustments. He's fine. I didn't want him to get down on himself because it's a process."

Acta has already had his talk with Balester. The skipper told him to relax and let the organization make the decision on his future.

"It's not the end of the world. He is going to continue to pitch until the end of camp," Acta said. "I already talked to Balester. He can throw 50 shutouts in a row or give up 200 hits the rest of the spring. He is not going to make the decision. We are going to make the decision. So I told him to get the ball, pitch, have some fun and don't worry about the outcome."