Kelley on Nats' search for a closer: "Everybody started somewhere"

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Shawn Kelley understands the intense scrutiny Nationals manager Dusty Baker faces as he tries to come up with a plan for who will close games. But Kelley wishes the fans up in arms about the possibility of an inexperienced closer taking over the ninth inning would keep one thing in mind.

"Everybody wants the big innings, but there's a lot of big innings in the game now," Kelley said. "Sometimes when you come in in the sixth or seventh when there's guys on after the starter goes out, that's when the game's won and lost. There's a lot of big outs to get when the starter comes out, especially when you're playing playoff-caliber baseball."

More and more it appears one of the Nationals' in-house options - right-handers Kelley, Blake Treinen and Koda Glover, or lefty Sammy Solis - will be taking over the role vacated when free agent Mark Melancon signed a four-year, $62 million deal with the Giants in December.

The Nationals made strong attempts to acquire Wade Davis in a trade, were unable to re-sign Melancon or sign free agent Kenley Jansen, and Baker's hopes of a reunion with free agent Aroldis Chapman were scuttled when the hard-throwing Cuban returned to the Yankees.

"We didn't land one of the marquee closers that were out there this year, so there's a spot for that," Kelley said. "Obviously they're going to talk to some of these guys internally."

But the numbers don't lie. The seven saves Kelley logged last season for the Nats while filling in for an injured Jonathan Papelbon are by far the most by any of the in-house candidates. Kelley has 11 career saves, Treinen one and neither Glover nor Solis has registered one in limited major league action.

Kelley, however, is quick to point out something that Baker and general manager Mike Rizzo have stated during the offseason: Every closer has to get his first save sometime.

"Same with every manager, every center fielder or every leadoff hitter," Kelly added. "They weren't always that. Somebody had to give them a job as a first-time manager or first-time GM or first-time closer. Everybody started somewhere."

Kelley, 32, has the most experience of any of the pitchers competing for the job. He doesn't think the ninth inning is any different than the other setup roles he's filled in the past. What he did in a fill-in role last summer is basically what he was tasked with every time bullpen coach Dan Firova answers the phone and motions to him.

"It's still just going out there and getting outs," he said. "I was asked to get outs in games. Hold leads and get three outs and not screw up. I did a good job of it. But that's what I did before and after that in other roles."

To a man, each of the four guys considered potential in-house options say the same thing: They'll be happy to do whatever job they're asked to do, regardless of what inning they pitch in.

"I want to help this team win and I want to help get big outs late in the game," Kelley said. "I don't care whether it's the seventh, eighth or ninth. Dusty's going to tell me when I'm pitching, and when he tells me to, I'm going to pitch."

And to hear Kelley explain it, holding a lead is just as important as getting the last three outs. Last season, in a career-high 67 games, Kelley posted a 2.64 ERA and walked only 11 in 58 innings, also a career-best.

"Sometimes you get the heart of the order with guys on in the seventh or eighth," he explained. "If you come in and blow it there, there's not going to be a save. Or if you come in and do your job and your team tacks on, there's not a save either because you extend your lead. Yeah, the hold is a huge category. If you've got a setup guy who's pitched the eighth the whole year and he's got 30 holds and the closer's got 30 saves, I'd say they're about darn equal."

Regardless of who pitches when, or if his number is called in higher-leverage situations, Kelley is content in the knowledge that the Nationals bullpen will figure it out and succeed.

"All seven relievers down there had to come in at some point and get big outs last year," he said. "I don't think anybody felt like they were a mop-up guy or didn't have an important role. We all had an important role at times. And we all did a really good job. ... I think we truly have that mentality. Last spring we came into camp and nobody really knew what the roles were. We knew Pap was the closer, but nobody knew who was sixth, seventh, eighth or lefty situational guy. We all kind of accepted it and pitched when we pitched."

And because needs and role can change on the fly, that ability to act like a baseball chameleon can come in handy.

"In baseball, you learn to adapt and go with the flow," Kelley said. "If you don't, you get eaten up."