Nationals recall right-hander Rafael Martin and left-hander Matt Grace

By Bobby Blanco

Nationals

September 02, 2015, 12:43pm

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The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Rafael Martin and left-handed pitcher Matt Grace from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday in their second round of September call-ups. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.

Martin, 31, rejoins the Nationals for the second Major League assignment of his career. The rookie right hander pitched in four April games for the Nationals, working five innings and allowing five earned runs. Martin, who struck out the final five batters he faced in his two-inning Major League debut on April 15 at Boston, struck out 11 batters in his four appearances and walked just two.

In 46 games with Triple-A Syracuse this season, Martin is 5-5 with a 3.21 ERA and 12 saves in 15 chances. Racking up 68 strikeouts and walking just 16 batters, Martin has held opponents to a .205 average against.

Grace, 26, also returns to the Nationals for the second Major League stint of his career. The hard-throwing left-hander appeared in 17 games for Washington in April and May, working to a 2-1 record with a 5.25 ERA. Fourteen of Grace's 17 appearances were scoreless outings.

Grace has posted a 2.40 ERA in 28 games with Triple-A Syracuse this season (48.2 IP), piling up 31 strikeouts against just 16 walks. Utilizing his hard, sinking fastball, Grace has induced ground balls 63.6 percent of the time this season at Triple-A, and has been very difficult to lift out of the ballpark, giving up just one home run all season.