Clippard relishing new relief role with Nats

WASHINGTON -- Entering the 2009 season, Nationals right-hander Tyler Clippard was a starter. He showed he could have some success in the big leagues starting for the Yankees and Nationals.

Clippard went into Spring Training hoping that he would be part of the Nationals' rotation. It didn't work out that way, as he began the season at Triple-A Syracuse.

As Syracuse was breaking camp, then-pitching coach Steve McCatty, now the Nationals' pitching coach, informed Clippard that he was going to be a reliever. What was Clippard's reaction?

"I was kind of shocked," Clippard said. "You have confidence at what you do. If you don't, you can't play at this level. I wasn't real happy with it. I felt I had the ability to be a starter. But those kinds of decisions aren't always up to you."

The shock wore off quickly. Thankful to have a job in Triple-A, Clippard became solid reliever for Syracuse. He gave up just four runs in 39 innings and earned a promotion to the Majors on June 24th.

Clippard's success with Syracuse has carried over to the big league level; he has a 2.13 ERA in nine games, along with 14 strikeouts.

His best game as a reliever came on Monday against the Mets, when Clippard pitched three shutout innings and struck out five batters. Today, he cherishes the role as a reliever.

"I changed my thought process, and it went from there," Clippard said. "I felt I had the repertoire to be fairly successful out of the 'pen. I'm a guy that needs to beat you with all of my pitches. Coming out of the bullpen with four pitches, I feel hitters don't see that a lot. I went on the mound knowing that, and I had a lot of confidence."