“Joe wasn’t Joe. That was it in a nutshell,” Baker said. “His usually hard sinker wasn’t sinking the last couple starts, and his usually sharp slider wasn’t sliding. It’s a tough decision to send him back, because we’re going to need Joe. I talked to him. He said he really hadn’t felt like himself. Not hurt, but he hadn’t felt like himself since last year.”

Ross struggled in three starts since returning from Syracuse. The Nationals sent him to Class AAA to begin the season, a move they said they made to monitor his innings and to take advantage of his big league roster spot while they did not need a fifth starter for the first two weeks.

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But after a solid start in Atlanta, Ross struggled mightily in Colorado, where his fastball velocity dipped into the high 80s. He is allowing left-handed batters to hit .343 against him, largely because his repertoire includes a fastball, slider and uncomfortable change-up. The consensus among those in the Nationals’ organization is that Ross needs that third pitch to solidify himself as a major league starter, but he also needs to be sharp with his main two pitches, too.

Baker also wants the 23-year-old to get on what he called the “Max Scherzer running program,” which would build stamina. He said Mike Maddux will give Ross a throwing program and will stay in close contact in the weeks ahead. But as for what exactly is ailing Ross, Baker said he did not know, and if he did, he would spike his tea with something that could fix it.

“He’s healthy. He just doesn’t feel right. He’s not right,” Baker said. “And his arm slot isn’t the same as when he warms up or early in the game. You’re asking me questions, man, that I can only guess about.”

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The natural next question was that of who will take Ross’s place. Cole was suspended five games at the end of last season for throwing at Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang. He has three games remaining on that suspension, and therefore cannot pitch until Friday at the earliest.

But the Nationals’ initial plan is to replace Ross in the rotation with right-hander Jacob Turner, according to a person familiar with the situation. Turner allowed three earned runs in six innings in a spot start last week in Colorado and showed command of a varied arsenal of pitches. Turner has made 54 career starts with a .284 batting average against in those outings and has never stuck at the major league level for long. But the Nationals always liked the former first-round pick’s stuff — a mid-90s fastball with plenty of secondary stuff — and signed him to a minor league deal this winter hoping their long list of successfully developed starters might grow by one.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Turner had not been told he will join the rotation. Baker would not commit to Turner, either.

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“Depends who we use this series,” Baker said. “Cause we can’t use Cole, cause he’s on suspension, serving his suspension for three days. So we’ll see how many guys we use during this series.”