The recent acquisition of Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson helps the Nationals bullpen. It added two much-needed proven, veteran arms to a 'pen that was lacking everything. Madson brings his 2.01 ERA and 2.39 FIP, and Doolittle his 3.63 ERA and 2.51 FIP. While these two are instantly the best relievers in the Nationals bullpen, all reports indicate the Nationals are far from finished in looking to add talent to a bullpen that has severely lacked it for most of the season. If the Nationals are...

PHOENIX - The arrival this week of Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle to the Nationals clubhouse was met with considerable exuberance. And why not, given the significance of the addition of two relievers with experience delivering in big moments to a bullpen that had all but lost the confidence of the rest of the roster. "It kind of sets your mind at ease," left fielder and unofficial clubhouse spokesman Jayson Werth said. "You've got some guys that have been there, been in the fire, been...

It was always a matter of when not if the Nationals would make a trade to bolster their bullpen, and it finally happened over the weekend. Byron Kerr and I are back to break down the acquisition of right-hander Ryan Madson and left-hander Sean Doolittle from the A's and the ripple effect on the Nats bullpen on a new episode of the District 34 podcast. Madson and Doolittle both made their Nationals debuts in a 4-3 win over the Angels Tuesday night, with the righty putting together a shutdown...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Dusty Baker handed the ball to three pitchers during tonight's 4-3 victory over the Angels. Not one was a member of the active roster until 2:30 p.m., each summoned to join this staff at this particular moment in time out of necessity. Edwin Jackson was here because Joe Ross blew out his elbow and suddenly this team with All-Stars anchoring its rotation needed a fifth starter. The 33-year-old journeyman promptly threw seven innings of two-run, three-hit ball to earn his first...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle are both here, both wearing Nationals uniforms - Madson wearing No. 44, Doolittle wearing No. 62 - and both insist they're ready and available for whatever role Dusty Baker envisions for the newly acquired relievers. What roles exactly will those be? Well, the answer for now is a simple-yet-unsatisfying one: Baker doesn't know. Madson and Doolittle certainly will be pitching late innings for the Nationals, particularly when they hold a lead....

ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Nationals have made only two previous trips to Angel Stadium in their history, and boy were they eventful. In 2005, Frank Robinson (with some help from Jose Guillen) fought Mike Scioscia. In 2011, Davey Johnson returned to a big league dugout for the first time in a decade. Now, in 2017, Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson officially join the Nats, and Edwin Jackson officially rejoins the Nats after five years away. The club announced its flurry of roster moves this afternoon....

When this guest blog was first written, it was about how the injury to Joe Ross would force a trade and that the Nationals may have to consider trading one or more of their so-called untouchable players, outfielder Victor Robles and Erick Fedde. Instead, Washington and Oakland executed their 432nd 11th trade this decade with right-hander Blake Treinen, infielder Sheldon Neuse and left-hander Jesus Luzardo going to the Bay Area and left-hander Sean Doolittle and right-hander Ryan Madson coming...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Hello from Orange County, home of Disneyland, reality TV stars and - for a quick two nights - the ever-changing Washington Nationals. Fresh off a four-game sweep in Cincinnati, the Nats have made their way west for the second and third legs of a strange road trip to open the season's second half. They'll play two against the Angels, then fly to Phoenix for three with the Diamondbacks before finally heading home for the first time in a long time. There are going to be no...

CINCINNATI - Dusty Baker knows who his starting pitcher will be for tomorrow's series opener in Anaheim. He's just not ready to make an announcement yet. "It's the same as yesterday: I can't tell you yet," Baker said before Monday's series finale against the Reds at Great American Ball Park. "There's an update. Same as yesterday." However, general manager Mike Rizzo, in an interview this morning on MLB Network Radio on XM, said that right-hander Edwin Jackson would get the call for...

We knew it was coming, there wasn't any question about that. We only didn't know when it was coming, whether the Nationals would be able to strike a big deal to address their bullpen early in the summer or whether they would have to wait until the final flurry at the July 31 trade deadline to fix the most glaring hole on their roster. So when it did happen Sunday, it was both surprising and completely predictable, all at the same time. Of course Mike Rizzo and Billy Beane were going to...

CINCINNATI - Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo had been chatting with his A's counterpart, Billy Beane, over the past couple of weeks. Their conversations began centered around a single relief pitcher to help stabilize the Nats' bumbling bullpen. But when both righty Ryan Madson and lefty Sean Doolittle became available, Rizzo couldn't pass up the opportunity to add a pair of pitchers who have worked high-leverage innings, closed games, and are capable of getting both right- and...

CINCINNATI - The Nationals have moved to shore up their sagging bullpen by acquiring two relievers - righty Ryan Madson and lefty Sean Doolittle - from the A's in a deal announced Sunday afternoon. In return, the A's will receive one major league piece, right-handed reliever Blake Treinen, and two prospects, Single-A Hagerstown third baseman Sheldon Neuse and rookie-level Gulf Coast League left-hander Jesus Luzardo. General manager Mike Rizzo moved quickly ahead of the July 31 nonwaiver...

CINCINNATI - Yes, the Nationals are interested in obtaining a pair of A's relievers to bolster their beleaguered bullpen. And that should not come as a surprise. Last night's report by Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network that the Nationals are interested in acquiring relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson is indeed accurate and would seem to check a couple of boxes heading into the July 31 nonwaiver trading deadline. It would give the Nats two veteran bullpen arms, both of whom have closed at...