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Nationals Reaction: Bullpen Issues Continue to Plague Nats

By Matt Weyrich

Jul 7, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Oliver Perez (46) reacts as New York Mets first baseman Wilmer Flores (4) rounds third base after hitting a three run home run during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 7, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Oliver Perez (46) reacts as New York Mets first baseman Wilmer Flores (4) rounds third base after hitting a three run home run during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Nationals fell to the Rockies 9-4 in extra innings yesterday after the bullpen was unable to keep Colorado’s lineup in check.

The Nationals biggest weakness this season has been their bullpen. In the regular season, good teams can often hide their biggest weakness behind the talent of the rest of their ball club. Come October, however, it is often that weakness that proves to be their downfall.. Even though the Nats boast the second best record in the National League, their problems in the ‘pen continue to linger.

In Washington’s 9-4 loss to the Rockies Saturday afternoon, their woes continued. Heading into extra innings with the score locked at four runs apiece, the Nats had little room for error in facing the second highest scoring offense in the Majors.

Nats’ long reliever Yusmeiro Petit was not able to get the job done in the 11th. He allowed five runs on seven hits, which were the difference in the ballgame. The relief corps’ latest miscue is quickly becoming the norm, and alarm bells should be sounding across the nation’s capital.

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Looking purely at the back-end of Washington’s bullpen, the first impression is actually of a pretty solid group. Mark Melancon is as good of a closer as they come and the same goes for Shawn Kelley in the set-up role. Blake Treinen has one of the best groundball rates in all of baseball. Sammy Solis, when healthy, has proven to be a valuable asset in late innings. The rest of the crew, however, shows plenty of reasons to be concerned.

Oliver Perez has been nothing short of a disaster throughout his first campaign in D.C. His 5.71 ERA is the highest mark of anyone that’s thrown a pitch in a Nationals uniform so far this season. Petit and Matt Belisle, while impressive at times, have continued to falter in high-leverage situations. While it remains to be seen whether newly acquired Marc Rzepczynski will make an impact, his numbers over the past few seasons are unnerving.

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This team basically has the NL East locked up and with the Cubs continuing to distance themselves from the rest of the league, it is looking more and more likely that the Nats will face the winner of the NL West in the first round of the playoffs. Both the Giants and Dodgers boast game-changers throughout their lineups.If the Nats are going to shake their playoff demons, they will have to get through one of these tough California teams.

The Washington Nationals lineup iis deep, their rotation is filthy, and they have a defense capable of making the highlight reel on a daily basis. It will be up to their bullpen to determine whether or not they make a serious run at the pennant.

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