WASHINGTON -- Jeremy Hellickson was one of the Nationals¡¯ most consistent starters last season, a major reason they decided to re-sign him as a free agent this winter. The team was counting on him to solidify the back of a rotation that was supposed to be one of the National League¡¯s best, but Hellickson¡¯s 2019 is off to a rocky start.

He struggled to find the plate and lasted only three innings during Sunday night¡¯s 6-5 loss to the Cubs at Nationals Park, matching his shortest start of the season and putting Washington behind early. Hellickson walked the first three batters he faced, threw more balls (34) than strikes (30) and gave up three runs as his ERA rose to 6.23 through his first nine games.

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¡°Fastball command wasn¡¯t too good. I'm just kind of fighting myself right now,¡± Hellickson said. ¡°Mechanics are just a little off. I¡¯m just missing, just got to get back into who I am, getting ahead and attacking and being way more efficient than I am right now.¡±

Despite his issues with his command, Hellickson managed to limit the Cubs to three runs, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the first inning with minimal damage. Nights when Hellickson battles his command so badly are rare, and an indicator to manager Dave Martinez that the righty was not at his sharpest.

So he decided to pull Hellickson after three innings with the Nationals trailing, 3-0, in order to give them a chance to come back. They nearly did, thanks to a three-run homer from Anthony Rendon and a solo homer from Howie Kendrick, but it was not enough as the Cubs took two out of three games this weekend.

¡°I've known Helly for a long time, and he'll battle through some stuff," Martinez said. "But when he's missing like that, that's tough, and I don¡¯t know if it's going to get any better throughout the game. We couldn't afford to let the game get out of hand.¡±

In order for the Nationals to turn their season around and build any sort of sustained success, they are going to need their starting pitcher to keep them in the game each night. Starting pitching is still the backbone of this roster, the area they have invested in and will lean on most heavily on a nightly basis. But there are questions surrounding two-fifths of their rotation, with Erick Fedde filling in for the injured Anibal Sanchez, who had endured his own struggles before landing on the injured list with a hamstring strain, and now Hellickson, who is not giving them a chance to win consistently.

In five of his eight starts this year, Hellickson has been unable to record an out past the fifth inning, routinely putting more pressure on a much-maligned Nationals bullpen. The Nationals have limited the number of times Hellickson faces a lineup, but they would like deeper and more consistent outings from him.

Over his last six starts, Hellickson¡¯s ERA is 8.17, and while he has been hindered by some shaky defense behind him on more than one occasion, his 6.18 FIP is not much better.

¡°I feel like I¡¯m right there,¡± Hellickson said. ¡°I just got to get ahead and just let my defense play a little more, just walking way too many guys. Just got to get back to being who I am.¡±