Jacob Turner comes to the rescue: "He saved our bullpen"

Before their team takes the field every night, Dusty Baker and Mike Maddux come together and map out a pitching plan for that particular game.

They know who's starting and how much can be expected from him. They know who is available and who isn't available out of the bullpen. And they know which reliever they ideally want to turn to for each potential scenario.

When they mapped out the plan for tonight's game against the Diamondbacks, Baker and Maddux knew they had a short bullpen. Shawn Kelley was sick and unavailable for the second straight game. A.J. Cole was serving the second game of the three-game suspension he must complete from late last year before he's eligible to pitch. And after struggling Tuesday night, Blake Treinen and Joe Blanton were last-resort options.

So the Nationals knew Jacob Turner would probably figure into this game somehow. They just didn't know how much he'd figure into it. Or how he'd single-handedly take over the final four innings and ensure nobody else's services would be required to secure a 2-1 victory.

"Well, that was within the realm of possibility," Baker said. "We didn't know he was going to go four innings. And we had a couple guys who were kind of going to be out-of-role, depending on how the game went in the bullpen. Not only did (Turner) have an outstanding performance, but he saved our bullpen."

Did he ever. Turner took over in the top of the sixth inning, replacing the wildly effective Gio Gonzalez, who somehow held Arizona to one run despite seven walks and 105 pitches in five innings. Given that Turner was the leading candidate to start Saturday in Philadelphia, taking over Joe Ross' spot in the rotation, this figured to be a one-inning appearance.

Except Turner, after allowing a leadoff single to Nick Ahmed, recorded three straight outs. So he was sent back to the mound for the seventh. At which point he retired the side, completing his second scoreless inning of work.

Night over, right? No. Turner was allowed to bat for himself with two outs and a man on in the bottom of the seventh, the Nationals still clinging to a one-run lead. He proceeded to fling his bat into the third base camera well on the first try before grounding out to short.

"I think I almost killed the camera guy," Turner said. "I feel so bad. Yeah, that was kind of embarrassing."

Baker and Maddux didn't care about anything Turner did at the plate tonight. They were solely focused on his work on the mound, and so they didn't hesitate to send him back out there for the top of the eighth. Which the right-hander handled with ease, retiring the side and recording two strikeouts.

That had to be it, right? Three scoreless innings, bridging the gap between starter and closer.

"I don't think I've ever thrown four out of the bullpen," said Turner, who indeed had never surpassed three innings in 27 previous big league relief appearances. "So I wouldn't say you come in expecting that, no. Once I batted for myself, I felt like I should finish the game."

Which is exactly what he did.

Turner got two quick outs in the ninth, and though he surrendered a double to A.J. Pollock, he was allowed to finish. He got Chris Owings to ground to third, and just like that a new secret weapon was unveiled.

Four innings of relief. Fifty-four pitches. Two hits allowed. Zero walks issued. Four strikeouts recorded. Game over.

"The new-age; that's what they like to do now," first baseman Ryan Zimmerman scoffed. "Multiple innings out of the bullpen. It's good stat stuff. No, I think with him throwing the ball as well as he did, he can go multiple innings, obviously. And it's hard to take a guy out when he's throwing the ball like that. It was huge for us and for our bullpen. Great job by him."

Whether this is the beginning of something new or just a one-off appearance remains to be seen. Turner won't be starting Saturday; that assignment will likely go to Cole, according to Baker. Perhaps the 25-year-old with the electric arm but minimal success as a major league starter will now find his calling as an old-fashioned bullpen fireman.

Whatever ends up happening, Turner will always have this night. He has pitched in 81 big league games for five different organizations, and he has won 13 of them. But he's never done anything quite like this. And for that, he is truly grateful to a Nationals franchise that gave him a chance this spring.

"I mean, every opportunity means a lot to me, so I try to make the most of it," he said. "There's a lot of good people here that have really helped me. It's a place that I feel comfortable, and I think that breeds success."