WASHINGTON -- As he made the walk from the dugout to the mound, Nationals manager Dave Martinez had not made a decision. He went to check on his young starter, Austin Voth, who had been brilliant up until that point with two outs in the sixth inning. He found Voth on the mound, “huffing and puffing” and clearly fatigued, starting to complain of a blister developing on his right hand.

The Nationals had a one-run lead at that point as Voth walked off the mound to a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd of 39,664 fans at Nationals Park and Martinez signaled to the bullpen. Almost just as quickly that advantage evaporated. Wander Suero and Fernando Rodney combined to allow the Braves to tie the game in the sixth and then score four runs in the seventh, leading to a 10-1 Nationals loss on Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park.

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“We had a chance there,” Martinez said. “Our bullpen just couldn't hold it down.”

This latest bullpen implosion spelled another loss for Washington against its division rival, during a stretch that crushed the Nationals’ dreams of catching Atlanta in the National League East. The Braves clinched a playoff spot with Saturday’s win. The Nationals have now dropped 11 of their past 15 games to the Braves, and after losing eight of their past 12 games overall, their grip on the top NL Wild Card slot has loosened. The Nats now just lead the Cubs by 1 1/2 games for the right to host that win-or-go-home game.

Suero, Rodney remain unpredictable
The word Martinez has used most often to describe his revamped bullpen after the Trade Deadline is “options.” He likes the fact that he has multiple relievers in the bullpen with experience closing games late, giving the Nats options to match up in high-leverage situations.

The issue for Martinez, however, is that too often those options are similar to navigating a nightly landmine. Suero and Rodney have been perhaps his most perplexing enigmas. Sometimes they appear lights-out with some of the best “stuff” among Nats relievers. And then there are moments like Saturday when they come into the game and clearly do not have their best.

Suero came into the game in relief of Voth and promptly surrendered the lead, giving up back-to-back hits in the sixth inning to allow the Braves to tie the game and walked the first two batters in the seventh.

Rodney was not much sharper, although Martinez hinted after the game that Rodney, who left the clubhouse before reporters were allowed in, was still feeling the aftershock of his errant fastball hitting Charlie Culberson in the face.

Still, the issue remains that two of Martinez’s most trusted relievers, the ones he is most likely to turn to in a high-leverage situation, are also his most volatile.

“We need these guys in the stretch,” Martinez said. “They understand that. Just had a good conversation with Suero right now. … [I] had to talk to him and tell him, ‘You’ve got to keep your head up. We've got important games coming up, and we need you. You've done well. Today, it just wasn't your day, but let’s keep it going.’”

Bullpen option for October?
After another impressive performance on Saturday afternoon from Voth, perhaps it’s time to consider how he fits into the Nationals’ postseason picture.

Facing the Braves for a third time this season, Voth mastered their dangerous lineup for 5 2/3 innings, getting charged for a run on four hits with six strikeouts.

“I did a really good job of executing today,” Voth said. “I felt like with all my pitches: fastball, curveball, changeup -- slider wasn't the greatest -- but I felt like I had a decent command of all of them."

Voth has now appeared in seven games (six starts) for the Nationals this season, and in 32 2/3 innings, he owns a 3.58 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 10 walks. With their top four starters firmly set for the postseason, Voth is making a strong case to be a part of a potential playoff bullpen.

“Absolutely,” Martinez agreed. “As we go forward, I often think about once we get there, he'd be a guy that we can plop in and he can get big outs for us.”