Doolittle better in return, but still has room to grow

Davey Martinez didn't want to throw Sean Doolittle to the wolves in his return from the injured list, but neither did the Nationals manager want to throw his rehabbing closer to the kittens. In the end, Martinez found a suitable middle ground for Doolittle to make his return Sunday afternoon: in the ninth inning, but with a six-run lead.

Doolittle responded with a 1-2-3 frame, inducing three flyouts from the Marlins to wrap up the Nats' 9-3 victory and complete a series sweep.

It was an important first step back for Doolittle, who spent two weeks on the IL, officially with tendinitis in his right knee but unofficially with a fatigued arm.

After pitching in one simulated game and then one rehab game for Single-A Potomac, Doolittle admitted Sunday morning he wasn't ready to return to full-fledged closing duties. Martinez took that under advisement and found a situation that worked well, and the results were encouraging.

"My goal was to get him in yesterday in the ninth inning," the manager said. "We could've put him in the eighth inning, but I wanted him to feel like: 'Hey, this is the ninth inning. This is what you do.'"

More notable than Doolittle's results was his process. He threw eight fastballs that ranged from 90.8 mph to 92.8 mph. That's still down from his typical 93-95 mph range, but it was a step up from his rehab appearance when he barely cracked 90 mph.

Doolittle also saw an increase in the spin rate of his fastball, what truly makes that pitch work when it's effective. His location wasn't up to his usual standards, with no pitches touching the upper third of the strike zone he usually makes his living in. But for the most part, he looked better than he has in a while.

"What I liked was, his mechanics were really good," Martinez said. "I didn't see any fall-overs. I call it the 'pirouette' when he lands. He was very clean."

It's unclear at the moment when Doolittle's next appearance will come and whether Martinez will be willing to use him against a Mets lineup that has torched him multiple times this season. But the ultimate goal hasn't changed: The Nationals need him to return to elite closing form.

"Not just for him, but for our club," Martinez said. "He's been our closer. And to get him right would be awesome for us and the bullpen and the whole team."