MILWAUKEE -- Monday’s off-day will be a welcome break for the Nationals’ bullpen, which was relied upon heavily in this weekend’s three-game series in Milwaukee.
The Nats made 12 calls to a bullpen that has been taxed because of hits to the starting rotation, and they used four relievers in their 7-3 loss to the Brewers on Sunday afternoon at American Family Field.
“Our starters have got to go deeper, for sure. We all know that,” said manager Dave Martinez. “But when you’re trying to get outs and, for the most part, you’re trying to stay in the games, it’s unfortunate, but we had to use our bullpen quite a bit. Luckily, we have a day off tomorrow, and we’ll start fresh on Tuesday.”
Patrick Corbin provided the most length on Friday when he threw 6 1/3 innings in a turnaround 4-1 win. That night, Mason Thompson, Andres Machado and Kyle Finnegan (save) pitched in relief.
The following day, starter Paolo Espino tossed 4 1/3 frames. Gabe Klobosits, Ryne Harper, Machado, Javy Guerra and Jefry Rodriguez took the mound as the Nats stumbled in a 9-6 defeat. Guerra, who allowed a grand slam to Christian Yelich in one-third of an inning, subsequently was designated for assignment.
In the series finale, Sean Nolin exited after four innings in his second start with Washington. Harper, Klobosits, Rodriguez and Austin Voth pitched in relief. As a staff, the Nats issued 11 walks against seven strikeouts on Sunday.
“There’ll be a conversation with the group after the day off, and we’ve got to get them straightened out,” Martinez said. “They can’t be afraid of throwing strikes. They’ve got to pound the strike zone, I told them that from the get-go. We’ll have a conversation with them on Tuesday, and we’ve got to get better.”
The Nationals addressed depth on Sunday morning when they added two arms back to the ‘pen by reinstating Voth and fellow right-hander Kyle McGowin from the injured list after both completed rehab assignments. Voth had not pitched for the Nats since July 26, and McGowin had been out since July 11. In addition to DFA’ing Guerra, Washington optioned outfielder Andrew Stevenson to Triple-A Rochester to bolster its supply of Major League relievers.
“As you can see, we need some pitching, we need some bullpen help,” Martinez said. “I don’t want to keep beating the same guys up. We needed an extra arm, so we made a decision to bring McGowin and Austin up.”
Voth allowed two hits and issued a walk while escaping a no-outs, bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning thanks to a smooth double play by Carter Kieboom.
“I’m just happy to be back,” said Voth, who had to ramp back up in Florida and Rochester, pregame. “For the most part, it just sucks watching our games on TV, and I want to be with the guys.”
While Voth is one of the most experienced arms in the Nationals’ bullpen, this is a fast-paced learning experience for newcomers. Klobosits, for example, has appeared in 11 games since making his Major League debut on July 30.
“I’m learning [that] getting ahead is a big thing, and just trusting your stuff,” Klobosits said. “Sometimes you make your pitch and then hey, you’ve just got to tip your cap. It’s kind of a big thing -- don’t dwell on the bad, find the good, the positives out of every outing.”
The Nationals have Erick Fedde, Josiah Gray and Patrick Corbin lined up to face the Marlins in the three-game series in Florida.
“They need a day off, for sure,” said Martinez. “Then we’ll regroup, and we’ll go to Miami and go 1-0 on Tuesday.”