Washington Nationals: Bullpen tinkering will continue through September

With a big lead in the National League East, it makes sense for the Washington Nationals to ensure they have the best bullpen mix.

It may not have gone as scripted Thursday night, but expect the Washington Nationals to mix-and-match who closes games down the stretch.

Although Sean Doolittle has the inside track of landing the job for the playoffs, it will not hurt to give Brandon Kintzler and Ryan Madson chances—if Madson returns—to see what they can do. With such a large divisional lead, it is imperative to make sure the best players are in the right roles.

Doolittle is magnificent as closer. He has converted 12 of 12 save opportunities along with posting a healthy WHIP of 0.875. His 2.25 ERA and 5.1 hits-per-9 make other teams notice. But, the Oakland Athletics used him and Madson to set up, not lose.

Before the July trade, Doolittle’s primary role was the eighth inning with occasional games pitching the seventh or ninth. Because he performed well moving to Washington, Dusty Baker left him as the closer after the Nats grabbed Kintzler.

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Kintzler inherited his closer job last year with the Minnesota Twins before locking down 28 games this year as the Twins surprised the American League Central. Used as the seventh-inning pitcher before the Madson finger injury, Kintzler’s role in 2016 was primarily the eighth inning setup man.

None of Washington’s new relievers have extensive time as a closer. Doolittle pitched well enough in 2014 to earn an All-Star spot with Oakland. Kintzler found success in the Twin Cities while Madson spent 2016 as the Athletics closer.

Aside from his success with the Nats last year, one of the big reasons Washington wanted to keep Mark Melancon was his abilities to lose long term. Same with Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman. Those arms are few and far between.

Pitchers, such as the group Washington has now, are good, but do not have the resume of the ones mentioned above. Not having a career closer does not hurt the Nats, but it will take time figuring which pitcher fits each role best. They are loaded with quality setup arms.

Because the next few weeks are prepping for the playoffs, Baker will make in-game moves that will leave you scratching your head. Sometimes they work, and then you have Kintzler struggling to lock down a save. It happens.

We get lost at times with the individual game situations where we forget that each game is like a part of a long symphony. The production takes six months and 162 games to advance. A ninth-inning wobble with a huge playoff lead is not worthy of extended rants on social media.

Next: Storylines for Mets series

There is no reason to pull Doolittle as the closer, but you must cover all your bases. If you prevent flaws before they become public, you are a step ahead of the game and, maybe, the Los Angeles Dodgers.