Trio of acquired relievers eager to help Nats win down stretch

PHOENIX - They all had different initial reactions upon learning they had been traded - Daniel Hudson figured for weeks he'd be headed somewhere, Roenis Elías was excited to join a team in a pennant race, Hunter Strickland was completely blindsided by the news - but there was a common sentiment among all three of the Nationals' July 31 acquisitions: They just want to help their new team reach the postseason.

"I mean, that's what it's all about," Strickland said. "That's why every ballplayer plays: He wants to win. To have that opportunity, and for them to have the confidence in me to bring me over to help contribute, is all the more a blessing."

The three new relievers all officially joined the Nationals on Friday, added to the active roster for the opener of a weekend series against the Diamondbacks. That capped a whirlwind couple of days in which each had to not only cope with the news but scramble to pack their belongings and then fly to Arizona to start a new life.

Hudson's journey from Toronto was long, but it also was fortuitous because the veteran right-hander lives in the Phoenix area. He's able to spend an unexpected weekend at home with his family while also pitching for his new employer.

The 32-year-old also gets to return to his original home once the Nationals' road trip ends. He was born in Lynchburg, Va., grew up in Virginia Beach and pitched at Old Dominion.

"I'm sure I'll have a lot of requests to come up and watch a ballgame," he said. "It's going to be fun."

Elías and Strickland both were on the Mariners' team bus in Texas when they got the news Wednesday. Elías was excited when he found out. Strickland was shocked, because after spending the majority of the season on the injured list he never considered the possibility he might get traded at the deadline.

"Not at all, really, to be honest with you," he said. "I've had one game back since I came back from the injury. It's always a possibility, but I was thinking nobody's going to take that chance after one game. But like I said, I'm beyond grateful for this opportunity, and I'm glad to be here."

Davey Martinez gushed before Friday night's game about the plethora of late-inning options he now had at his disposal. And then he went out and used a bunch of them during the Nationals' 3-0 victory over the Diamondbacks.

After getting 5 1/3 scoreless innings from Joe Ross in the previously struggling right-hander's best performance of the year, Martinez used Elías to record the final two outs of the sixth. He planned to put the lefty back on the mound for the bottom of the seventh to face the left-handed Jake Lamb, but then watched as Elías injured his upper right leg trying to beat out an infield single in a rare hitting appearance.

The Nationals are hopeful Elías suffered only a leg cramp, but he'll be examined further Saturday to determine if the injury is more severe. In the meantime, everyone was pleased that the new acquisition retired both of the batters he faced in his debut.

"I'm excited and very happy, pleased with the way I pitched," Elías said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. "God let things happen very well for me that inning, and if it wasn't for my injury I felt like I was probably going to go back out there and throw the seventh. They gave me an opportunity to throw to the left-handed hitter, and I did my job."

Strickland was now pressed into duty a bit earlier than expected, but the veteran righty wasn't fazed by the situation at all. He retired the side in the seventh with a pair of strikeouts, averaging 96.7 mph with his fastball and topping out at 98.

"He was really good," Martinez said. "Slider was a lot crisper than I remember, but his fastball was electric."

Hudson didn't wind up pitching, but that fact underscores the larger significance of Wednesday's additions. The Nationals now feel they have enough bullpen depth to be able to spread the workload around. They used four relievers to lock up Friday night's win, but they've still got a fresh Hudson, Wander Suero and Tanner Rainey available for tonight's game.