For Blake Treinen, eight has been too much

Injuries have forced new roles for several Nationals all over the field in the first month of the season. Former starter Blake Treinen has transitioned into the bullpen, and with right-hander Casey Janssen down, he's been asked to take over the pressure-packed eighth-inning role.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo made a bold but debatable move in the offseason when he traded away dependable setup man Tyler Clippard in order to acquire infielder Yunel Escobar. The nine-year veteran has played brilliantly so far, and his versatility has been key for the Nationals in the field and lineup. But it's just as easy to appreciate Escobar's value as it is to recognize the void left by the departure of Clippard.

Rizzo followed the surprising trade by signing former Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen with the assumption he would slide into the eighth. But the 33-year-old right-hander began experiencing tendinitis in his throwing shoulder in late March. Janssen remains on the disabled list and just recently began a throwing program after he was shut down for three weeks.

So Nationals manager Matt Williams has turned to the hard-throwing right-hander Treinen to lock down the opponent in late innings. Treinen's audition hasn't gone well to this point. He has allowed runs in four of six appearances and given up hits in all but one game. It's been since the Nats' second game of the season that he was able to successfully get the ball to closer Drew Storen to preserve a victory.

Last night, the Cardinals took advantage of Treinen's inexperience in the eighth inning. They used a walk and two hits to break a 5-5 tie and score the eventual game-winning run.

"Well, I wouldn't make too much of it at this point," Williams said. "We look back to Boston, and the pitches he made were really good pitches. Tonight, just left one out over. So I wouldn't make too much of that. He's throwing the ball effectively. Better sliders tonight, really good sliders. That ball can easily go foul and we get out of that inning. That's the way the ball bounces sometimes."

Treinen is seen as a starting pitcher by many in the organization. It's not hard to figure out why after the 26-year-old posted a 3.00 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 36 innings over eight starts in 2014. Without a spot in the Nats' star-studded rotation, it was a no-brainer to utilize Treinen's high 90s fastball and devastating sinker out of the bullpen. But there's far less margin for error in one-inning situations.

"Ideally, it would be great to go out and put up a zero for your team every time, and that's my goal," Treinen said. "I go out there and I'm staying aggressive. Maybe sometimes things don't go your way, and other times it's just a lack of execution. But I feel like I've been aggressive and competitive in the zone.

"Big league hitters are good. I leave the ball up, they're going to make you pay. I just have to continue to focus on executing pitches down in the zone. Eventually things are going to turn around and get a little crisper on my end. It's disappointing to give up a run, but I'm still going to stay aggressive and have complete confidence in myself."

Fellow sinkerballer Doug Fister has spent time with Treinen and knows the upside that he brings along with some pretty filthy movement on his pitches.

"Blake is a tremendous pitcher," said Fister. "He's really got some great stuff. He's young and kinda going through some growing pains right now. I guess he hasn't gotten quite the results. He's gotta stay with his guns and throwing the great sinker that he has and mixing guys up.

"The ball's not bouncing his way right now, and fortunately, he's understanding it. He's got that mentality, he's gonna go back out there tomorrow and make them hit that ground ball right to our defense. He's got a great upside and he's just gotta figure out for himself what it is every day he's gotta do."