Hard-throwing Rainey earning Martinez's trust out of 'pen

If Nationals manager Davey Martinez needs him out of the bullpen in tonight's opener of a four-game series at Petco Park against the Padres, right-hander Tanner Rainey will be ready.

Being willing to pitch is a reliever's calling card, a sure way to curry favor with a manager - no small thing when you're a newcomer to an organization and still trying to carve out a niche in the bullpen.

Granted, having thrown in two straight games may mean Rainey is due a day off. But with righties Wander Suero and Kyle Barraclough and lefty Sean Doolittle likely unavailable for the next day or two, and Rainey having thrown 25 pitches in his last two appearances covering 1 2/3 innings, it wouldn't be farfetched to see Martinez summon him for a batter or two.

Count Rainey among those who believe relievers can't be choosy about their assignments.

"Whenever my number's called, that's when I go in, compete and do what I can to keep the game where it is," he said.

More and more since he was recalled from Triple-A Fresno on May 20, Rainey has used regular work - eight outings in that span - to get in a groove. He's been unscored upon in all but two appearances and given up only two earned runs. Wednesday's two-thirds of an inning of spotless relief lowered his ERA to 2.25.

Three times, he's pitched with no rest. Only once has he gone four days between outings.

"When you're not sitting, when you're not going three or four days in a row without throwing, it makes it a little easier to continue where you left off," said Rainey, who was acquired at the Winter Meetings from the Reds for starter Tanner Roark. "You're not always searching for something, trying to get something better when you're getting the regular work."

Success out of the bullpen can be a chicken-and-the-egg proposition. Impressive outings bump up the statistics and earn more trust from a manager. And Martinez is getting used to calling on Rainey, a hard-throwing 26-year-old enjoying his first sustained run of good fortune in the majors.

"When we left spring training, we talked to him," Martinez said. "We told him, 'You throw 95, 96 (mph), the biggest thing for you is strike one, continue to throw strike one.' He's taken it upon himself to do that. Like I said, every time I put him out on the mound, he looks better and better."

On Wednesday night against the White Sox, Rainey threw two pitches that were clocked at 100 mph. He's no stranger to reaching triple digits, but seeing the radar readings extended to three places was a nice develop for a guy who's developing both confidence and a run of impressive outings.

In the seventh inning of the Nats' 9-5 win on Wednesday, he struck out Leury García and then got an 0-2 count on Yoán Moncada. Expecting something other than heat, Moncada was helpless to do anything but watch a 100 mph fastball that went right down the middle of the plate for a called third strike.

The next hitter, veteran José Abreu, also saw Rainey's 100 mph fastball, but lined a single into center field.

"That's not the first time I've done it, but it is the first time this year since I've been up," Rainey said. "It's cool to see, but at the end of the day, one of the 100s was one that went for a single. Maybe the 97-98 (mph) were better pitches."

Velocity isn't everything, and a wicked fast pitch can speed up the bat of a slugger capable of getting around on it. Still, Martinez has liked what he's seen of Rainey, a native of Lousiana who doesn't seem to have any fear on the mound.

"That was pretty good," the manager said. "The more he's out there, the more comfortable he looks. ... When he gets ahead, he can be really nasty."