Bullpen hitting a bit of a rough patch

Throughout most of the season, the Nationals' bullpen has been one of the team's strong suits. Nats relievers have taken slim leads and held their opponents at bay, and when the Nats have trailed in ballgames, the guys out in the 'pen have done a tremendous job of keeping the deficit where it is, allowing the position players a chance to come back in the late innings. Of late, however, the bullpen has slipped a little bit. Dating back to June 14, Jerry Blevins has seen his ERA jump from 3.70 to 5.45. Over his last 10 appearances, Aaron Barrett's ERA has risen from 1.93 to 3.21. Rafael Soriano - who was absolutely outstanding through the first half of the season - has blown two of his last five save opportunities. Craig Stammen has allowed 10 earned runs in his last 10 2/3 innings. Soriano, Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen have gotten lots of work late in games this season, to the point that Williams tried to stay off each of the three at some point on the Nats' last road trip. Barrett is getting the heaviest workload he's gotten to this point in his professional career. Matt Williams has seen his relievers hit a bit of a rough patch lately, something he discussed after last night's game, when the bullpen allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings. "The issue with Stammer ... he hasn't pitched in a while," Williams said. "So the first inning was a little rusty, I think. The second inning, he settled in fine. Blev just, he got the first lefty out, couldn't get the second one. Then he had a couple lapses out there with guys on base that allowed them to get the guy to third base, then he gave up that run. "I don't think they're worn down. I don't think their innings are excessive or anything like that. I think it's just one of those little ruts. You can get out of those ruts, too. As quickly as you can get in them, you can get out of them. Just keep going." Overall, the Nats' bullpen, who had the top ERA in the majors not too long ago, now ranks fifth in the majors with a 2.95 ERA. Still strong, obviously, but the rut has led to a drop in the rankings. Williams believes things will turn, and the bullpen will be a strength for this team down the stretch. The Nats owe many of their wins to their relievers, and they have faith that group will be dominant over the final two months of the season. But don't be surprised if we see the Nats add another reliever down the stretch. GM Mike Rizzo has shown that he's willing and able to acquire players after the non-waiver trade period ends (Kurt Suzuki in 2012, David DeJesus in 2013), and he was in discussions about relievers prior to yesterday's 4 p.m. deadline. Another reliever could be coming, but for now, the Nats will stick with the group they've got, the group that dominated the league for much of the season.