Kendrick, Elías to IL; Guerra, Stevenson rejoin roster (Nats down 7-5)

PHOENIX - For two days, the Nationals hoped Howie Kendrick and Roenis Elías had suffered mere leg cramps and not hamstring strains. On the third day, they conceded the ailments were severe enough to land both players on the injured list.

Kendrick and Elías were formally placed on the 10-day IL before today's series finale against the Diamondbacks, and though club officials still believe neither injury is serious, both will miss at least another week, leaving the roster depleted.

Javy Guerra, designated for assignment only four days ago after the Nationals acquired three relievers at the trade deadline, has rejoined the club to assume Elías' spot in the bullpen. Outfielder Andrew Stevenson was recalled from Double-A Harrisburg to take Kendrick's spot on the bench.

Kendrick was supposed to start at first base in Friday night's opener at Chase Field but was scratched 10 minutes before first pitch when he felt his left leg tighten up while warming up on the field. He felt well enough to take grounders and run at less than 100 percent before Saturday's game, but the Nationals decided not to take any chances with the 36-year-old, who missed much of spring training with a left hamstring strain.

"With Howie, rather than pushing him - because he has had issues before with his hamstring - I want to be safe," manager Davey Martinez said. "I'd rather him miss 10 days than miss two months."

Kendrick, who didn't look great trying to score from first base on Trea Turner's double Wednesday afternoon at Nationals Park, will be eligible to return Aug. 11 because his IL stint was backdated to Aug. 1.

Elías' transaction was not backdated, though he suffered his injury while trying beat out a chopper to short Friday night in his Nationals debut. The left-hander, asked to bat after retiring two hitters so he could retake the mound to face another left-handed hitter the next inning, pulled up lame and grabbed his upper right leg.

The Nats treated Elías' injury as a cramp but had him undergo an MRI on Saturday, which revealed what Martinez referred to as a "mild" hamstring strain.

"I talked to him today," the manager said. "He said he felt better. He doesn't think it will take long. I told him: 'We've got a great training staff. They'll get you ready. When you're ready, you're in there. But let's make sure you're 100 percent.'"

In deciding who should fill Elías' spot in the bullpen, the Nationals turned to a familiar face, albeit one who they just cut four days ago. Guerra was one of three roster victims of the flurry of July 31 bullpen acquisitions, designated for assignment. The veteran right-hander spent three days in limbo, but once he cleared waivers he had the option of becoming a free agent or accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Fresno.

Guerra decided to stay with the Nationals organization, though he never actually made it to Fresno. He makes his offseason home in Phoenix, so by coincidence he happened to already be in town and available to rejoin the big league club this morning.

Why did Guerra decide to stay with the Nats instead of becoming a free agent?

"It's always a tough one," he admitted. "I think you always want to explore other options, just because you're kind of that point where you kind of need to figure it out. But for me, the clubhouse had a lot to do with it. I just enjoy being here. Everything about being here was a lot of fun. I enjoyed my time, so made it easy to stick around."

Stevenson, meanwhile, has been on a bit of a wild journey in the last week. The Nationals transferred the outfielder from Fresno to Harrisburg on Wednesday, with the intent of keeping him closer to Washington in case he was needed. Turns out they did need him ... while they were a West Coast trip through Arizona and San Francisco.

Update: Just as they were last night, the Diamondbacks are all over the Nationals' starting pitcher. Last night it was Stephen Strasburg. Today it's Patrick Corbin, who is having a rude return to Chase Field. The D-backs have scored four runs in the first three innings, and they haven't been cheap. Adam Jones ripped an RBI double in the second. Nick Ahmed ripped a two-run double moments later. And Ketel Marte ripped a line drive to left-center in the third that got past a diving Gerardo Parra (who clubbed a two-run homer for the Nats) and rolled to the wall. Marte raced around the bases, and though the Nationals appeared to have a chance to throw him out at the plate, Trea Turner's relay was high and Yan Gomes wasn't in a good position to make the tag. So it's an inside-the-park homer, not to mention a 4-2 lead for the Diamondbacks after three innings.

Update II: The Diamondbacks continue to sqaure up Corbin, but he has managed to avoid any further damage through the fifth. And when Brian Dozier crushed a solo homer in the top of the fourth, the Nats had drawn back to within a run. It's 4-3 now. And with both the Braves and Phillies losing today, there's a golden opportunity here for the Nationals to have a positive day in the National League East standings.

Update III: The Nats just wanted to get to the Diamondbacks bullpen, and sure enough that helped a lot in the bottom of the sixth. After Clarke was pulled with two outs and nobody on, two relievers combined to let four straight batters reach base, with the tying run scoring on a passed ball. It's now 4-4 as Corbin re-takes the mound for the bottom of the sixth.

Update IV: This has been one of those days. No lead is safe. Both teams are scoring runs. It's just a matter of who hangs on to win. Right now, the D'backs are in position, up 7-5 in the eighth. But this one's far from over.