ATLANTA - Nationals reliever Roenis ElÃas is dealing with a right hamstring injury suffered late in Friday night's opening 4-2 loss against the Braves.
Manager Davey Martinez said they will wait on the MRI until Saturday to check on EliÃas' hamstring.
"He feels OK. He's really sore," Martinez said. "We haven't gotten an MRI yet because until the swelling goes down it's really going to reveal really nothing. Hopefully by the end of the day tomorrow we'll get an MRI."
"I felt a pull in the top part of my hamstring, a little higher than it was previously," ElÃas said via team interpreter Octavio Martinez. "Today I feel good, a little sore, but overall pretty good."
ElÃas believes this second occurrence of a hamstring issue is milder than the first one suffered in Arizona in early August.
"I definitely feel more optimistic about the results," ElÃas said. "As you saw clearly last night I walked off the field fine. Once I felt it I kind of bent over a little bit but the first time I injured it I almost had to be helped off the field. More than anything I'm just frustrated.
"I'm trying to help the team any way I can to help win and we keep getting these little nagging injuries. I just got to stay positive."
He rode the stationary bike for 20 minutes and did other exercises today.
Martinez will consider Wander Suero in the role of getting left-handed hitters out, and might also go to Sean Doolittle in that role. But with ElÃas out, the Nats do not have a left-handed specialist available for the time being.
"We'll have Doo and I still like Suero in that role too," Martinez said. "Both those guys will have to pitch. Doo might have to pitch in high-leverage situation, not necessarily in the ninth but maybe in the seventh."
The skipper had more news about the pitching staff with the announcement that Joe Ross will not start Saturday after all.
"Austin Voth will start tomorrow," Martinez said. "Joe threw a bullpen the other day and complained about his forearm. So he's got a little bit of a forearm strain and because of his history we want to make sure that we take care of it. I told him, 'Hey, we are not going to push it. We will treat it and get you right and see what happens.' "
Voth had a pair of rehab starts with Double-A Harrisburg as he recovered from right bicep tendinitis that had kept him out since mid-July. On June 23, Voth made his first start of the season against the Braves here, tossing six innings and allowing only two runs on a pair of solo shots, no walks and seven strikeouts.
"I just like that matchup tomorrow," Martinez said. "He pitched well (against them previously). He worked really hard to come back and he threw the ball well the other day as well. We will have (Erick) Fedde to back him up.
"He's good for five innings, 75-80 pitches. He threw a bullpen the other day and he came back and he said he was a little sore.
Infielder Adrián Sanchez has been sent back to the team hotel with a stomach virus. Martinez believes he could be out a couple of days.
Update: Ozzie Albies homered with one out in the third. Patrick Corbin is up to 67 pitches.
After three innings, the Braves lead the Nats 1-0.
Update II: Tyler Flowers hit a sacrifice fly RBI to deep right field to score Adam Duvall in the fourth inning. Corbin has 81 pitches through four frames.
After four innings, the Braves lead the Nats 2-0.
Update III: Corbin allowed only two runs (one earned) despite a season-high six walks over five innings. He surrendered only three hits and struck out nine, firing 107 pitches, 63 for strikes.
Mid-sixth, the Braves lead the Nats 2-0.
Update IV: Josh Donaldson launched a two-run shot off Wander Suero in the seventh. The homer is his 35th of the season.
After seven innings, the Braves lead the Nats 4-0.
Update V: Ryan Zimmerman hit a dramatic line drive three-run homer in the eighth to get the Nats back in the game. His fifth homer came off of Braves reliever Luke Jackson.
After eight innings, the Braves lead the Nats 4-3.
Update VI: Facing Shane Greene in the ninth, pinch-hitter Matt Adams struck out. Gerardo Parra struck out. Trea Turner grounded out the pitcher to end the game.
Final score: The Braves 4, the Nats 3.
The Nats have lost three in a row and four of their last five for the first time since Aug. 4. They trail the Braves by nine games in the National League East race.