Ross a bright spot in series-opening 3-2 loss to Marlins

Ross a bright spot in series-opening 3-2 loss to Marlins
MIAMI - The Marlins were able to score two runs in the sixth to break open a tight pitcher's duel, and that was enough in the end, as the Nationals fell 3-2 in the road trip opener at Marlins Park. It was the last-place Marlins' first win in five games, and only their fifth in 20 games. Left-hander Caleb Smith was a little bit better than Nats right-hander Aníbal Sánchez, but it was close. Smith tossed six innings, allowing one run on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. Brian...

Two years later, Nats face same bullpen mess, but in tougher division

Two years later, Nats face same bullpen mess, but in tougher division
NEW YORK - Max Scherzer had dominated, Anthony Rendon had homered and the Nationals had busted their way out to a double-digit lead on the road heading into the final innings. And then the majors' worst bullpen somehow turned that blowout win into a tension-filled bottom of the ninth that ended in an unlikely save situation. Sound familiar? It should, because it just happened Sunday at Citi Field. It also happened July 15, 2017, at Great American Ball Park. Yeah, the 2019 Nationals bullpen...

Up 11 runs in seventh, Nationals hang on to win (updated)

Up 11 runs in seventh, Nationals hang on to win (updated)
NEW YORK - If Davey Martinez was asked this morning to draw up a best-case scenario for the Nationals' series finale against the Mets, this had to be awfully close to what the second-year manager imagined. With his bullpen in shambles but his ace on the mound, Martinez was hoping not only for a dominant Max Scherzer start but also a big day at the plate against Zack Wheeler and the New York pitching staff, creating a comfortable lead that would take all the pressure off that beleaguered...

Beleaguered bullpen steps up to close out tough win

Beleaguered bullpen steps up to close out tough win
NEW YORK - It was the dominant storyline of the season's first week, and it promises to remain that way through this first road trip of 2019. The Nationals are going to live and die by their bullpen, and after dying a few times at home against the Mets and Phillies, they were brought back to life by the beleaguered relief corps this afternoon during a 4-0 victory at Citi Field. "Like I said before, if we're going to do this, I got to trust the bullpen to get the job done," manager Davey...

Strasburg dominates early, bullpen comes up big late in 4-0 win

Strasburg dominates early, bullpen comes up big late in 4-0 win
NEW YORK - Stephen Strasburg was brilliant. And his teammates did just enough against Noah Syndergaard to take a lead into the latter innings of today's matinee at Citi Field. But as anyone who has watched only a few moments of Nationals baseball in 2019 already knew, none of this would matter if the majors' most beleaguered bullpen couldn't find a way to do its job and close out a victory. So as impressive as Strasburg's 6 2/3 innings of scoreless ball was, and as impressive as Victor...

Dissecting Martinez's opening day bullpen decisions

Dissecting Martinez's opening day bullpen decisions
The nature of the baseball schedule, especially in northern cities that require a day off following the season opener to account for weather postponements, lends itself to gross overanalyzing of Game 1 of 162. No other game all season, aside from perhaps postseason contests, gets dissected like this. But with nothing else to write or talk about for 48 hours until they take the field again, we really have no choice but to make a big deal out of every little thing that happens on opening day. So...

Grace ready to build on breakthrough campaign

Grace ready to build on breakthrough campaign
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A breakthrough season in 2018 has pretty much cemented left-hander Matt Grace's place in the Nationals bullpen. Now the durable lefty is doing everything he can to keep his spot. "Just keep looking for what's next in that next level," Grace said. "Talk to guys like Max (Scherzer) and stuff like that. It's a never-ending pursuit of how you figure this stuff out. It's just keep going, keep competing, keep trying to refine what you got." Grace, 30, made a...

Beyond Doolittle, Nats bullpen is full of question marks

Beyond Doolittle, Nats bullpen is full of question marks
As spring training fast approaches, it's time to break down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the bullpen ... A position of instability and turbulence for years, the Nationals bullpen entered the 2018 season as a legitimately perceived strength. The three-headed "Law Firm" of late-inning relievers general manager Mike Rizzo acquired during the summer of 2017 all returned, and the rest of the group featured a balanced combination of...

Nationals bullpen has potential but few sure things

Nationals bullpen has potential but few sure things
There is no more volatile position in baseball than relief pitcher, no more volatile position group than the bullpen. Only a handful of the very best relievers can consistently be counted upon year after year, so that always makes this aspect of the roster tougher to predict than others. Which also makes the Nationals bullpen both intriguing and nerve-wracking here as the 2019 season looms in the not-so-distant future. This is nothing new, of course. Rarely have the Nats entered a season with...

Nats not focused on left-handed relief market - for now

Nats not focused on left-handed relief market - for now
LAS VEGAS - His roster may be crying out for a dependable left-handed matchup reliever, but Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo doesn't consider adding one among the most pressing tasks he has to accomplish at the Winter Meetings. Aside from closer Sean Doolittle, the Nationals bullpen tilts decidedly toward the right side. The other two left-handed holdovers - Matt Grace and Sammy Solís - had mixed results last season. Grace had his best season as a major leaguer, posting a 2.87 ERA and...

Is Grace a matchup lefty or a long reliever?

Is Grace a matchup lefty or a long reliever?
As our offseason coverage kicks into high gear, we're going to review each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Matt Grace, who has become a stalwart in the bullpen. PLAYER REVIEW: MATT GRACE Age on opening day 2019: 30 How acquired: Eighth-round pick, 2010 draft MLB service time: 2 years, 65 days 2018 salary: $557,000 Contract status: Under team control in 2019, arbitration-eligible in 2020, free agent in 2023 2018 stats: 1-1, 2.87 ERA, 56 G, 0 SV, 59 2/3 IP, 55...

Lacking in trusted options, Nats 'pen taking a pounding

Lacking in trusted options, Nats 'pen taking a pounding
The Nationals had 12 pitchers sitting in their bullpen Tuesday night, but that doesn't mean Davey Martinez had an abundance of appealing options when he needed to call down there for an arm. Of those 12 relievers, only two were on the club's opening day roster: Matt Grace and Sammy Solís. Only four of them have pitched in 30 or more games for the Nats this season: Grace and Solis, Justin Miller and Wander Suero. Tim Collins has made 27 appearances over two stints in Washington. Greg...

Lefty matchup backfires late in Friday's loss

Lefty matchup backfires late in Friday's loss
NEW YORK - Davey Martinez was talking Friday afternoon about one benefit of his ever-changing bullpen: the ability to bring in one or two left-handers to matchup for one or two batters late in a game. That wasn't the case only a few weeks ago, when Sammy Solís was the only lefty used in that kind of situation (despite his reverse splits that showed he was more effective against right-handed batters) and Matt Grace was forced into a long-relief role. Now, since Solís was demoted to...

Bullpen steps up to make late heroics possible

Bullpen steps up to make late heroics possible
For 8 2/3 innings Wednesday night, the most significant thing that happened at Nationals Park was Stephen Strasburg's worrisome return from the disabled list, a shaky four-inning start that raised questions about the right-hander's health and stamina. Then with one dramatic swing, Ryan Zimmerman stole the show and added to his already impressive legacy with the 11th walk-off homer of his career, propelling the roller coaster that is the 2018 Nationals to back-to-back wins over the Phillies...

Seven relievers helped Nats in 10-4 comeback over the Phillies

Seven relievers helped Nats in 10-4 comeback over the Phillies
Because of a rain delay that almost reached two hours, starter Tanner Roark was limited to three innings. That left the Nats having to rely on seven different relievers to hold off the Phillies in a 10-4 win. Left-hander Matt Grace did well in relief of Roark with two scoreless innings, but got into trouble when he could not record an out to start the sixth. He allowed four batters in a row to reach base and it looked like the Phillies had a chance to run away with the game. But Jimmy Cordero...

Liz Barr: Shawn Kelley and Matt Grace have been quietly effective

Liz Barr: Shawn Kelley and Matt Grace have been quietly effective
Are the Nationals doing well? To put it simply, no. But if we keep focusing on the negatives, we will all drive ourselves crazy. So instead, we're going to focus on a few bright spots, and today we're going to look in an unorthodox place at a few guys who have had some under-the-radar good years: in the bullpen at Shawn Kelley and Matt Grace. Kelley has gotten a little bit of a bad rep in town, especially coming off his poor 2017 season. Fans feared that 2018 would be more of the same, and it...

Nats unable to hold early 4-0 lead, fall 5-4 in 10 innings at Milwaukee

Nats unable to hold early 4-0 lead, fall 5-4 in 10 innings at Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE - The Nationals raced out to a 4-0 lead early, but the Brewers chipped away, and eventually walked off with a 5-4, 10-inning shocker at Miller Park, to win the series. Tyler Saladino's bases-loaded sacrifice fly to left-center field off of left-hander Matt Grace (0-1) in the tenth scored Lorenzo Cain from third base. Juan Soto's throw was strong but curled back up the line for catcher Spencer Kieboom. Cain scored standing up before Kieboom could apply the tag. It was the Brewers'...

Martinez on Turner benching and Harper's sickness

Martinez on Turner benching and Harper's sickness
MILWAUKEE - Manager Davey Martinez planned to speak to shortstop Trea Turner during pregame Tuesday as the Nationals prepare for the Brewers. Martinez decided to bench Turner for tonight's game after the shortstop didn't run to first base on a bunt attempt in Monday's 6-1 loss. "I haven't talked to him yet but (the) conversation will be had," Martinez said. "Honestly, I really felt after yesterday he really needed a day off. He's available, but let him ponder about it and let's get him...

Nats thumped by Phillies 12-2 in opener, drop into third place

Nats thumped by Phillies 12-2 in opener, drop into third place
It's not a make-or-break series, not in late June, but if the Nationals wanted to remind the Phillies in tonight's weekend opener on South Capitol Street that they're still top dogs in the division, they didn't do a particularly convincing job. With another laborious and ineffective start from Tanner Roark and another lackluster performance from their lineup, the Nats were roughed up by rivals from up Interstate-95, falling 12-2 and falling into third place in the National League East. The...

Hellickson goes on DL, Grace and Collins return to bullpen

Hellickson goes on DL, Grace and Collins return to bullpen
Jeremy Hellickson's hamstring strain was deemed to be "mild" by those looking at his MRI, but the veteran right-hander will need to miss at least a couple of starts and thus was placed on the 10-day disabled list today by the Nationals. The Nats also sent right-hander Jefry Rodriguez (who impressively threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings in emergency relief of Hellickson on Sunday) back to Double-A Harrisburg and put relievers Tim Collins and Matt Grace back on the active roster for tonight's...