Treinen fishing for consistency as he prepares for next season

Right-hander Blake Treinen went from pitching in 15 games in 2014 to a career-high 60 games in 2015. But he was used in more specialty situations last season, as his innings total only went from 50 2/3 innings to 67 2/3 innings.

It was the epitome of an up-and-down season for Treinen. In March and April, his ERA was 4.22. In May, he had a 3.00 ERA, allowing only five runs in 15 innings. In June, he reached a 4.38 ERA in 12-plus innings. In July, he allowed four earned runs in just three innings of three games.

In August, he allowed no earned runs in 11 innings. Then, in September and October, his ERA jumped again - to 5.65 in 17 appearances.

"Obviously, there were some issues with consistency (and) that's the biggest glaring issue that I need to fix," the 27-year-old Treinen said at Winterfest. "There are times when things went really well and there are times when things went pretty darn bad. The consistency side of things is my biggest focus in the offseason."

So besides consistency, does Treinen believe he needs to alter his pitch selection or strategy?

"You make good pitches sometimes and they put hits on them, and you make terrible pitches and they make you pay for it," Treinen said. "I think it's a matter of knowing how to attack a little better and executing those pitches."

Treinen believes the bottom line was that he was unable to get to the level he wanted to be at the right time in the season. That experience helps him this offseason.

"I think its just time and unfortunately it took me a little longer to get to that point," Treinen said. "I'm just looking forward to being better prepared and showing the team that's just one blip of the year and it's not going to be an issue anymore."

What does he think of the arrival of new Nationals pitching coach Mike Maddux?

"Got a chance to talk to him a little bit," Treinen said. "Seems like a great guy. Obviously, his track record speaks for itself. I'm excited to speak with him some more and pick his brain. Our staff is pretty impressive right now. Ready to move on and see where things are going this year."

Does Treinen believe the transition from Steve McCatty to Maddux will be seamless?

"McCatty was great," Treinen said. "He had so much to offer to all of us. But the business side of things, bring in a great mind. There's probably going to be a lot of things they agree on and there are other things that (Maddux) brings to the table that maybe we hadn't seen yet. Just looking forward to another great opportunity with another great pitching mind."

On a personal level, Treinen has relocated to the Pacific Northwest and is excited to gain experience fishing and hunting in the offseason. He has been able to buy all the equipment he needs to be successful, now just is looking for his first acquisition.

"It's going good," Treinen said. "Just moved out to Walla Walla, Washington, this offseason with the wife. Just been working out, trying to plug away to get ready for the season. No complaints here."

"We went steelhead fishing the other day and I caught zero fish. So my outdoor skills are still pretty bad. Good thing the wife doesn't have to depend on me to bring food home. And we got a grocery store down the street."

Could he have picked a further place from that other Washington, the D.C. variety?

"It's like a six-hour flight to Seattle. Really looking forward to that," he laughed.