Drew Storen shaky for third straight time

Drew Storen isn't pitching with the same dominance he displayed over the season's first four months. The easy assumption is either his confidence was shot or simply his focus was altered after the Nationals bumped him out of the closer role in favor of Jonathan Papelbon two weeks ago.

In 38 appearances pitching the ninth inning or later before Papelbon was acquired, Storen allowed just seven runs (1.73 ERA). The 28-year-old right-hander has now surrendered eight in his last three games while working the eighth inning (27.00 ERA).

Storen took the mound to start the eighth on Friday night with the Nationals holding a 4-1 lead over the Rockies. He promptly loaded the bases before Carlos Gonzalez launched the eventual game-winning grand slam deep off the back of the Nats bullpen in right field.

On Sunday, Storen again entered in the eighth, tasked to maintain a 4-4 tie to give the Nationals an opportunity to win the game and the series late. But he allowed the first two Rockies to reach on a single and hit batter. Both scored on a two-out single as Storen took his second straight loss in the 6-4 defeat.

Jordan Zimmermann's two-hit gem gave the Nationals a late chance on Wednesday night. With Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw set to leave the game, the Nats prospects of evening the 1-0 deficit seemed much greater against closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth.

However, Storen followed Zimmermann to the mound to handle the bottom of the eighth. With one out and two strikes on Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson, Storen overthrew a slider. The premature, sharp inside break struck Pederson's right foot.

"Pulled that one a little too hard," Nationals manager Matt Williams said to reporters of Storen's second hit batter in the last two games.

Andre Ethier then roped another slider deep into the right field corner for a double.

"He just didn't get where he wanted to, left it in the middle of the plate," Williams told reporters about Storen's slider. "Inconsistency with that pitch, probably."

After Bryce Harper retrieved the ball and flung it back in, Anthony Rendon's relay disappeared into the stands, allowing Pederson and Ethier to cross the plate on the throwing error. Suddenly a manageable one-run lead became three.

Jimmy Rollins lifted a soft fly ball to Michael A. Taylor for the second out in the eighth, but then Williams called on left-hander Matt Thornton to face the left-handed swinging Carl Crawford. Storen, who owned the ninth inning with 29 saves in 31 chances for most of the year, was now being pulled for a matchup concern.

Williams was asked by reporters after the loss if he's worried with Storen's recent slide.

"I think that anytime you're giving up runs ... he hasn't done a whole lot of that this year," Williams said to reporters. "Anytime he's giving up runs, then we have to look at why. For me, it's location and balls left in the middle of the plate. He's well aware of that, so are we. And he's out there trying to make pitches. It just hasn't happened for him lately."

The Nationals made the move for Papelbon to bolster the backend of a bullpen, which had been shaky at times holding a lead to get to Storen in the ninth. Dropping the previously steady Storen back to the eighth was an attempt to bridge the gap from the starters to the lockdown relievers. Many also theorized Papelbon was brought in for confidence in October with Storen's postseason struggles.

That scenario may never get a chance to even play out if the Nats can't fight their way out of the hole they've dug for themselves with the Mets taking a 3 1/2 game division lead.