In rough and unexpected season, Doug Fister picks up first save

PHILADELPHIA - Raise your hand if you had Doug Fister saving a near meaningless game in mid-September this season. That's exactly what happened last night when manager Matt Williams called on Fister for the first time in 13 days to close out a seesaw contest that left the Nationals leading the Phillies 8-7 in the bottom of the 11th.

Fister walked Cameron Rupp to start the frame, but then settled down, whiffing Andres Blanco and Odubel Herrera before getting Freddy Galvis to line out to end the game, collecting the first save of his seven-year career in the majors.

"Everybody was happy for him," said Jayson Werth after his two-homer, five-RBI bonanza. "He got a nice beer shower when he got in here. I don't even think he's pitched in maybe two weeks or something like that. Everybody's happy for him. He's a great guy and he's a big part of this club, so it was good to see."

After the win, Williams indicated that Fister hadn't been used out of the bullpen since Sept. 1 because he had to preserve the veteran right-hander in case he was needed to fill-in for Stephen Strasburg, who has battled injuries consistently throughout the season.

"I know I'm out there in the bullpen and I'm there as a tool for them," Fister said. "But it is rough sitting there for a long time and not getting in a game. But when it comes down to it, when your name's called, you've got to be ready. That's kind of where we were tonight."

It's safe to say this hasn't been the season anyone expected from Fister - not Major League Baseball, not general manager Mike Rizzo, not Williams, not the Nationals fan base and certainly not Fister himself.

Coming off a stellar 2014 campaign when he was arguably the best pitcher on a highly celebrated starting rotation, Fister was again expected to be a main cog in the Nationals' big five this season.

It looked good at the beginning of the season for Fister after going 1-0 with an 0.69 ERA in his first two starts. But in his next five outings, Fister went 1-2 while his ERA skyrocketed to 6.08.

After the Padres shelled him for seven runs in just two innings on May 14, Fister ended up on the 15-day disabled list the following day with a right flexor strain in his forearm.

Fister missed over a month, returning on June 18 to yield five runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings in a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay. His velocity was down a few ticks from last season and he wasn't getting the normal devastating sink on his fastball, which had consistently made him one of the game's most effective starting pitchers over the previous four seasons.

Fister rebounded from the Rays loss, throwing seven shutout innings in a 7-0 win over the Braves a week later. But Fister went 1-4 over his next six starts with his ERA again ballooning to 5.29. In early August, Rizzo and Williams made the tough call to send Fister to the bullpen, replacing him in the rotation with rookie right-hander Joe Ross.

Williams has used Fister sparingly over the past five weeks. Since he transitioned to the relief role, Fister is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA while striking out 11 over 12 innings in just seven appearances.

"I've been talking to all the relievers and trying to come up with my own strategy of going about business," Fister said Monday night. "Whether it's pitching every two days or every two weeks, it doesn't matter. It's a matter of: When do I work out? When do I run? How do I run? It's a whole different world, kind of a calendar for me, trying to learn that. It's been a little bit of a challenge to figure that out. But fortunately, things have kind of lined up to where I've been able to stay in the weight room, stay running and be ready."

Fister was given the opportunity in the 11th last night because right-hander Jonathan Papelbon failed to close out the game in the 10th, surrendering a game-tying solo homer to Galvis. But Papelbon was able to pick up the victory since Fister shut the door an inning later.

"Doug pitched his (butt) off," Papelbon said. "It's awesome. And a lot of people don't realize that's hard to do. When you're not getting the reps like everyone else is getting, that's tough. For him to come in there, pound the zone and get outs, that's an awesome job."

The timing of Fister's demotion was especially tough considering the 31-year-old is due to become a free agent at season's end. With right-hander Jordan Zimmermann also a free agent, the Nationals are expected to have two new full time starters in the rotation in 2016.

"It's been a tough season for (Fister)," Zimmermann said. "He's been in the rotation, out of the rotation, not pitching. We finally get him back in there in a meaningful spot. It's good for him and I'm happy to see that."