Journeyman Edwin Jackson is providing stability in Washington Nationals’ rotation

Washington Nationals pitcher Edwin Jackson is the ideal journeyman in the MLB. The 33-year-old right hander has pitched for 12 different teams in 15 seasons. For each of the teams Jackson has pitched for, he has displayed inconsistency on the mound as he sports a 4.36 career ERA.

Jackson, who helped the Nationals win a division title in 2012, has played for six teams since 2015.

He was signed by the Baltimore Orioles back in April and played for their Triple-A team before making three appearances out of the bullpen.

When the Nationals started seeing some of their players hit the disabled list, especially starting pitcher Joe Ross, the team picked up Jackson, who was designated for assignment by the Orioles, to fill in the back of the starting rotation.

Just like the Howie Kendrick, Adam Lind and Wilmer Difo, who have helped keep the Nationals at the top of the division despite all the injuries, Jackson has done the same thing on the mound. The Former All-Star is 4-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 37 innings pitched.

Jackson was impressive in Thursday’s 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres as he gave up one run and tallied four strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Even though the Padres were able to rack up eight hits against Jackson, he managed to keep his pitch count low and get out of trouble.

“You don’t hang around this league as long as he has without being able to pitch,” Ryan Zimmerman told the Washington Post. “He still has the stuff. And just the experience he has. He knows how to pitch, mixes it up. He’s fun to play behind.”

Jackson allowed only one run in six innings of work against the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 12. He has struggled on a couple of occasions.

He gave up seven runs --three earned— against the Milwaukee Brewers. Jackson also allowed four runs in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs.

Arguably, Jackson’s best outing came in July against the Colorado Rockies where he allowed a run on four hits and tallied six strikeouts in six innings of work.

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Jackson kept opponents to a .203 batting average in three starts in July.

“What stands out to me is his arm is still fresh and strong while he’s figured it out,” manager Dusty Baker said.

“A lot of times guys figure it out after they hurt their arms and they lose their stuff. But he’s been fortunate enough to stay healthy and his arm is still fresh while he’s figuring it out.”

Yes, there is still a lot more baseball left, but Jackson has proven to be a valuable pickup.

If Jackson continues to pitch well, he will be one of the most interesting stories of the 2017 season.