Solís and relievers understand grind of season comes with the territory

One of the strengths of Nationals left-handed reliever Sammy Solís' work on the mound is his ability to speed up the game.

His tempo, when contrasted with a starter that might have had a more methodical pace, makes it very difficult for the opposing hitter to get into a rhythm, see which pitches he is throwing and decipher Solís' game plan.

Before the hitter knows what's going on, he has struck out or grounded weakly to an infielder. That is what Solís is always trying to do: make it a quick and wasted at-bat.

"I am notorious for working fast," Solís told me recently. "Honestly, I'm almost out of breath out there working so fast. That plays to the pitcher's advantage. That's almost half the battle to me because there is nothing worse than the rain delay pitcher. His players are sitting back on their heels behind him, everyone is falling asleep, maybe miss a play that they might have made had they been a little more attentive.

"Especially making hitters uncomfortable, they don't like to have to step right back into the box. I'm already stepping back and going into my windup. They might call time, they might not. It just makes them uncomfortable and it just throws another thing I can use as a weapon."

Solís has been called on in 13 out of the 25 games the Nationals have played so far this season. He has pitched in back-to-back games four times. Nationals manager Davey Martinez has said he has confidence in putting Solís into games because the southpaw has the ability to get both left- and right-handed hitters out.

The nerve impingement that derailed most of Solís' 2017 campaign is now a distant memory.

"It's not even in the back of my mind. It's just not in my mind anymore," Solís said. "I think I'm over that hump. I feel fantastic right now, grinding away. I can't tell you the last time I felt this good. Our training staff has been paramount for my success so far. Just being proactive in my treatment, and getting to it before it happens again or if it were to happen again."

There are times when relievers can get frustrated if they are warmed up several times and don't get in. There was that moment in 2015, with Matt Williams as the manager, when former Nationals left-hander reliever Matt Thornton expressed frustration after warming up five times in a game and not getting the call.

Against the Mets last Monday in New York, Solís warmed up three times and was not called in. Of course, the Nats' needs and the way the game was playing out changed while he was getting ready. Solís understands that can happen at any time.

"That's a part of it. That's part of being a reliever," Solís said. "You are grinding out there, sometimes three out of four, sometimes four out of five. That's just the nature of the game. You don't hear me complaining about it because I know what you signed up for. That's just part of it. Sometimes you will throw a lot. Sometimes you might go a series without throwing. That's just how it works.

"Us having kind of a target on our backs, everyone gearing up for us, games are going to be close and they are going to be intense and sometimes we are going to have to throw more than we want to."

Does he ever ask for a day off?

Not really, Solís said. He used the example of last week, when Brandon Kintzler had been used three games in a row.

"It depends where we are at as far as how we are playing, but the other guys in the 'pen, if they are up or down - because you never want to say, 'Hey, shut me down,' when three other guys aren't available," Solís said. "I try to push it as much as I can. That's just the nature of being a reliever. Sometimes throwing maybe too much, but that's just part of it.

"Today, maybe Kintzler is down, he's three in a row. But at the same time, I guarantee if skipper called down and said, 'Hey, can you go?' he'd absolutely go. It's competitive nature. You always want to be ready when they call down."

* Juan Soto hit a solo homer, his first homer at high Single-A on Wednesday, as the Potomac Nationals dropped Wilmington 6-2. In 18 minor league games this season, the 19-year-old Soto has five doubles, three triples, six homers, 27 RBIs and an OPS of 1.220.