Clippard riding impressive scoreless streak

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals' bullpen has seen its fair share of struggles this season, but Tyler Clippard has been nothing short of dominant.

Clippard pitched his 14th consecutive scoreless inning on Friday against the Mets and is 3-0 with a 0.41 ERA since June 1. Entering Friday's doubleheader, he was holding opposing hitters to a .133 batting average, the best of any National League relief pitcher with more than 15 appearances.

"I know this year, in comparison to last year, I've really tried to focus on pitching more," Clippard said. "I feel like I got away from that a little bit last year, especially toward the end of the year, where I kind of became too one-dimensional. I've really focused on putting together my full repertoire in each outing, and the more I do that, the more comfortable I feel doing that."

When pitching in big situations early last season, Clippard said that he relied heavily on his fastball and changeup. He wanted to beat hitters with his best stuff, so he neglected some of his breaking pitches, and as the season progressed, he struggled to incorporate those secondary pitches again.

"It was kind of a snowball effect, and I got away from it completely," the 28-year-old said. "So I came into Spring Training this year really focused on being able to bring those pitches back into my repertoire more frequently, because I know that that's how I've always had success in my career."

Clippard has mostly pitched the eighth inning this season and ranks third in the NL with 18 holds. While that regularity has helped him figure out a routine and mentally prepare for each outing, Clippard said that he pitches the same way every time, regardless of what inning it is. Shortstop Ian Desmond agreed.

"I don't look at him as an eighth-inning guy. I look at him more like an end-of-the-game type of guy, a finisher in that seventh, eighth, ninth," Desmond said. "He'll do a great job in any role."