Nats have decisions to make before finalizing wild card roster

For the last month, the Nationals have been playing with an expanded roster, 36 players in total, which has allowed Davey Martinez to never run out of bats off his bench or arms in his bullpen. It's the luxury of September baseball - at least until next fall, when rosters will be reduced to 28 - but it's not allowed come October.

Which means Martinez and the Nationals now must pare those 36 active players into a 25-man roster for Tuesday's National League wild card game. It's not as simple as it sounds, because they need only maintain this new roster for one day.

If the Nats win and advance to the NL Division Series, they'll reset the entire roster, understanding priorities will be quite different for a best-of-five against the Dodgers than a winner-take-all showdown with the Brewers.

In a nutshell, you don't need a full pitching staff for the wild card game. How many arms, realistically, are you going to use in one game?

Ideally, the Nationals would use only two or three Tuesday night: Max Scherzer for seven-plus innings, then Sean Doolittle and/or Daniel Hudson to finish it off. But that may be wishful thinking. And given the stakes for this game, it must be all hands on deck.

Which means other starting pitchers who aren't starting Tuesday will make the roster. Martinez has said both Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin will be available out of the bullpen, and Aníbal Sánchez could, as well, perhaps as the emergency long man if the game goes extra innings.

So that's a six-man staff, which still isn't enough to feel totally comfortable. As much as everyone loves to hate them, other members of the 2019 Nationals bullpen will make this roster. Fernando Rodney is probably first off this list, followed by Wander Suero. The two right-handers may be erratic, but when they're on they're electric. And they've actually been on more than they've been off in recent weeks.

That makes eight pitchers. Figure two more chosen from a group that includes Tanner Rainey, Hunter Strickland, Javy Guerra, Austin Voth, Joe Ross, Erick Fedde, Aaron Barrett and Jeremy Hellickson. You can almost certainly cross off the last four names. So that means two of the remaining four make it.

Rainey and Strickland are classic, hard-throwing, one-inning right-handed relievers. Both have electric stuff, but both struggle with command. They would seem to have earned less trust from Martinez than others.

Guerra does seem to have the manager's trust, as evidenced by the fact he pitched the eighth inning of a close game when the Nationals were trying to clinch their postseason berth last week. He throws strikes. He has the ability to go multiple innings if needed.

Voth has been a revelation this season, an impressive No. 5 starter with swing-and-miss stuff. Martinez has hinted the rookie right-hander could be a valuable arm come playoff time. It may be time to find out if he's up to it.

So that's a 10-man pitching staff for this game. What about the bench? Under this scenario, there would be seven available slots, two more than the Nationals typically use from April-August. We know one will be the backup catcher (let's assume Yan Gomes, with Kurt Suzuki starting). We know two will be backup first basemen (let's assume Matt Adams and Ryan Zimmerman, with Howie Kendrick starting). We presume Brian Dozier makes it as a backup middle infielder and right-handed bat, with Asdrúbal Cabrera likely starting at second base.

That brings us to the outfield. This could be a tricky decision should the Nationals advance to the NLDS and need to carry a 12-man pitching staff, because there would only be one bench spot remaining. But with a 10-man staff in the wild card game, they can afford to keep Gerardo Parra, Michael A. Taylor and Andrew Stevenson. That could come in quite handy, with two speedy players who can pinch-run and also play quality defense if needed.

So your bench is Gomes, Adams, Zimmerman, Dozier, Parra, Taylor and Stevenson. That's a pretty impressive group, you have to admit. Four right-handed batters, three left-handed batters. One catcher, three infielders, three outfielders. Guys with speed. Guys who play good defense. Guys who can put the bat on the ball. Guys who can hit for power.

The Brewers figure to use a whole bunch of relievers Tuesday night once they get whatever they can get from starter Brandon Woodruff, who is very talented but has made only two starts since returning from a two-month stint on the injured list with an oblique strain, lasting only two innings each time.

It's a formula that worked very well for the Brewers last fall, carrying them all the way to Game 7 of the NL Championship Series. And it will be a challenge for Nationals hitters to figure out a new pitcher nearly every inning of the game.

But when it comes to matching up along the way, Martinez should have an advantage over counterpart Craig Counsell. No matter who Counsell summons from his bullpen, Martinez should have a viable bat available, whether the guy already in the lineup or that diverse group coming off the bench.

In one winner-take-all game, that could be the difference between a trip to L.A. and a too-quick exit from the postseason.