Eventful night in Anaheim ahead for ever-changing Nationals

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Hello from Orange County, home of Disneyland, reality TV stars and - for a quick two nights - the ever-changing Washington Nationals.

Fresh off a four-game sweep in Cincinnati, the Nats have made their way west for the second and third legs of a strange road trip to open the season's second half. They'll play two against the Angels, then fly to Phoenix for three with the Diamondbacks before finally heading home for the first time in a long time.

There are going to be no shortage of compelling storylines here later this evening. So let's take this opportunity to run through it all...

Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson join the team today
Though the trade for the two relievers was consummated 48 hours ago, the logistics of the Nationals schedule prevented both Doolittle and Madson from actually joining their new club until today. (Why rush to get them both from Oakland to Cincinnati in time for a 12:35 p.m. local start, then make them fly back to California later that evening?)

The good news: Both pitchers are fresh and should be available out of the bullpen tonight. Doolittle last appeared on Friday, throwing 15 pitches in a scoreless eighth inning to help lead the Athletics to a 5-0 win over the Indians. Madson threw 20 pitches the previous inning Friday, then returned to throw 12 pitches Saturday in the top of the ninth of what was a tie game. (The A's rallied to win in the bottom of the inning.)

It will be fascinating to hear both from Doolittle and Madson, and from Dusty Baker, how they believe they'll be used moving forward. Both have some closing experience, but both have spent far more time in setup roles and have been successful doing it.

Something else to consider: Baker needs to be careful about how often he uses each reliever. Madson is 37 and missed all of 2012-14 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Doolittle, meanwhile, has made four trips to the disabled list in the last three seasons due to shoulder trouble and has to be closely monitored.

As tempting as it will be for Baker to throw both guys into the fire, he might need to take a cautious approach until he better understands how each responds to different amounts of workloads.

Edwin Jackson returns to the Nationals and starts tonight
If back in spring training you had told me Jackson would start a mid-July game for a Nationals team on pace to go 99-63, I would have been shocked. I also would've asked: "How in the world are the Nats on pace to win 99 games with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark, Gio González, Joe Ross, Erick Fedde, Austin Voth, Jacob Turner, A.J. Cole, Vance Worley and Jeremy Guthrie all injured?"

Well, that's not the case. Ross indeed is injured, headed to Dallas for Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. But the other four regular starters are healthy. As are all of the other names on that above list (though Worley now pitches for the Marlins and Guthrie is enjoyed unofficial retirement back home in Portland).

So how on earth is Jackson, the 33-year-old right-hander who has pitched for 12 - yes, 12 - different MLB clubs, starting for the Nationals tonight? In short: He's their best option. Turner has been erratic when in the big leagues, and more effective as a reliever than a starter. Cole has a 6.00 ERA at Triple-A. Fedde is still being stretched back out to start in the minors. Voth was 1-7 with a 6.38 ERA at Syracuse and was recently demoted to Double-A Harrisburg.

Jackson, meanwhile, has impressed since signing a minor league deal with the Nationals last month. He was 2-0 with an 0.44 ERA in five starts for Syracuse, with an 0.93 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings.

Now, does any of that mean Jackson has suddenly turned into something he never was in the last decade bouncing around the big leagues? Probably not.

But for now, given their comfortable lead, the Nationals can afford to take a look at Jackson, see what they've got and then decide if that's good enough to get them through the rest of the season. Remember, we're talking about a No. 5 starter here. They need at most 15 starts from that position the rest of the way. They don't need dominance; they just need competency.

The Nats need to remove three players from the current roster
In order to clear spaces for Doolittle, Madson and Jackson, the Nationals have some decisions to make. The two obvious moves would be to option relievers Trevor Gott and Austin Adams back to Triple-A, clearing spots for Doolittle and Madson.

Jackson, however, needs not only to be added to the 25-man roster but also to the 40-man roster. (Doolittle and Madson officially were added when the trade was announced Saturday, taking the spots held by Blake Treinen and Koda Glover.)

The easy answer would be to designate Turner for assignment for the second time this month, thanking the right-hander for coming up Monday to sit in the bullpen in case he was needed (he wasn't) and hoping he again clears waivers and can be outrighted to Syracuse.

But with Jackson a pretty big question mark on the mound tonight, the Nationals might feel the need to carry an eighth reliever, especially one who can provide long relief like Turner. So perhaps they drop a bench player (Adrián Sanchez would be the most likely choice) and then find another way to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Oh yeah, Bryce Harper is facing Mike Trout the next two nights
So, this would kind of seem to be a big deal, wouldn't it? Yet the rare head-to-head matchup of perhaps the two best players in the majors is kind of an afterthought given everything else that's going on.

Harper and Trout have squared off only once before in the big leagues, in April 2014 when the Angels came to D.C. That series was better remembered for Albert Pujols hitting his 500th career homer. Trout had a solid-if-unspectacular series, going 5-for-14 with a double and an RBI. Harper was a nonfactor, going 1-for-11 with one walk and three strikeouts.

The bigger development for Harper came only a couple days later, when he tore a ligament in his thumb sliding headfirst into third base and spent the next nine weeks on the DL. Would you believe Trout just returned from a seven-week stint on the DL after tearing a ligament in his thumb sliding headfirst into second base?

There may be plenty else to watch the next two nights, but don't forget about these two superstars going head-to-head for only the second time.