On middle relief woes and Harper's chance that never was

SAN DIEGO - Some more thoughts, observations and reactions from Wednesday night's 2-1 loss to the Padres before heading to Arizona for a four-game weekend series ...

* The Achilles' heel of the Nationals' roster is no secret. It's been on display throughout the season's first month-plus, and it's a carryover from the 2017 season: the middle portion of their bullpen.

And it reared its ugly head again during Wednesday's loss. In a 1-1 game, and with Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler having each pitched the previous night in victory, manager Davey Martinez decided to entrust the bottom of the seventh to Trevor Gott.

There have been moments the last few weeks when Gott succeeded in high-leverage spots and gave Martinez reason to believe he could emerge as a fourth trusted reliever for those situations. But the right-hander has yet to show he can get the job done on a consistent basis, and Wednesday's game was the latest example.

Gott allowed a leadoff single to No. 8 hitter Manuel Margot, who then proceeded to steal second and advance to third when Trea Turner couldn't handle Matt Wieters' short-hop throw. Gott did get pinch-hitter Chase Headley to fly out to medium-deep left field, with Margot holding at third, but he then immediately served up an RBI double to Matt Szczur in what proved to be the game-winning hit.

Gott (5.68 ERA, 1.42 WHIP), Sammy Solís (4.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) and Shawn Kelley (4.26 ERA, three homers in 6 1/3 innings) all have vacillated between effective and ineffective in key situations, none able so far to seize a job that absolutely is there for the taking.

"We have to give them a chance," Martinez said. "And I don't put them in the games because I don't think they can do the job. I put them in the games because I think they can do the job. I have confidence in all of them. They're going to get a chance to pitch."

For what it's worth, the guy who pitched the sixth and seventh innings for the Padres and emerged with the win would certainly fit in well in the Nationals bullpen. His name: Craig Stammen.

The former workhorse of the Nats bullpen before suffering a torn flexor tendon in 2015 that essentially knocked him out for two seasons, Stammen is back to his pre-surgery self in San Diego. He had a 3.14 ERA in 60 appearances last season, racking up 80 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. And he's off to a strong start this season, with a 2.25 ERA in 16 appearances totaling 20 innings.

Signed for $2.25 million this season and again next season, the 34-year-old right-hander could find himself on the trade market this summer. The Padres, who have been known to ask for a lot for their relievers in the past, won't give him away cheap.

But, boy, Stammen would be exactly what the Nationals could use right now, wouldn't he?

* Though Bryce Harper was out of the lineup Wednesday night for the first time this season, Martinez insisted the slugger would be available off the bench if the right situation arose. Well, that situation certainly seemed to present itself in the top of the ninth, but Harper never did emerge from the dugout.

Trailing by a run and facing All-Star left-hander Brad Hand, the Nationals got a broken-bat leadoff single from Ryan Zimmerman to set the stage for a potential rally. Howie Kendrick roped a line drive to right-center, but close enough for Travis Jankowski to haul it in. Wieters then struck out, leaving the Nats down to their final out.

With the .180-hitting Moisés Sierra due up, Martinez might have been tempted to call for Harper, even against a lefty. But the first-year manager stuck with Sierra, who proceeded to strike out to end the game, leaving Harper waiting for an opportunity two batters later that never came.

"He was going to hit for the pitcher," Martinez said. "But Mo's hit left-handed pitching. And I knew that if we could come back, Harp would probably be in the game. I thought that was a good matchup."