Washington Nationals: 5 storylines to watch as Nats conclude huge homestand

Back-End of the bullpen acquisitions

The Nats’ bullpen has been the worst in the league for a majority of the season. It was obvious that they needed to make a trade to acquire a few impact relievers, and they did just that. They recently acquired Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson from Oakland, instantly transforming the bullpen.

Doolittle, who has been the Nats’ closer since being acquired, is 2-for-2 in save opportunities. While he hasn’t blown a save, his outings have been adventurous. He has walked four batters in four innings, including a lead-off walk in three of his four appearances.

When throwing strikes, Doolittle has been hit hard at times. He has an overpowering fastball, which is consistently in the upper 90’s, but he throws it too much. In his first three appearances, Doolittle threw nothing but fastballs. Opposing hitters have taken notice of this and are hitting his fastball hard since they can sit on it.

Prior to the trade, Doolittle had spent his entire career in Oakland, so it’s possible that he is still adjusting to playing for a new organization and will settle in. He should be a key member of the Nats’ bullpen for the next few years.

Everyone knew Madson was also a solid acquisition, but nobody expected him to look as good as he has so far. The 36-year-old has consistently thrown his fastball in the upper 90’s, while also featuring a curveball and change-up in the low to mid 80’s. His height, 6’6″, has enabled him to get excellent downward action on his fastball, making him near impossible to square up.

The Rockies have also bolstered the back-end of their bullpen. On Wednesday, they acquired Pat Neshek from the Phillies. Neshek hasn’t made his Rockies debut yet, which will likely come at some point this weekend.

Neshek, who was also rumored to be a Nats trade target, is a great acquisition for Colorado. The 36-year-old has pitched to a 1.12 ERA in 43 games this year. He only allowed five runs for Philadelphia, two of which came on a Michael Taylor home run. Neshek appears to be another late-inning option for Bud Black to use along with Greg Holland, Jake McGee, and Adam Ottavino.

Both the Nats and Rockies have recently made trades to bolster the back-end of their bullpens, and it should be interesting to see how the new relievers fare with their new teams.