More on Treinen and Nats' lack of run production

PITTSBURGH - Five appearances into Blake Treinen's big league career, it's clear that he has the raw ability to compete at this level.

Treinen's hard two-seamer touched 98 mph last night against the Pirates and was clocked at 100 mph at times in the minors. He has a changeup and slider that at times can be strong pitches for him. He has a quiet confidence and rarely seems shaken on the mound.

The question going forward is whether he can develop his secondary pitches enough to still be effective the second and third time through a batting order.

He needs to cut down on the baserunners allowed (11 in 5 2/3 innings last night, and now 31 in 17 1/3 as a big leaguer) and find a way to maintain effectiveness in the middle innings. But that can come in time.

Treinen has worked 17 1/3 major league innings, allowed three earned runs and not yet surrendered a homer.

The kid has ability, he just doesn't yet have a big league win after last night's 3-1 Nats loss to the Pirates.

"He was good. He was a bulldog out there," shortstop Ian Desmond said last night. "I like it. He's got good stuff, too. I'm impressed."

Treinen has been impressively poised early on in his big league career, but he did seem a bit rattled in the third inning last night, when he walked Pirates starter Edinson Volquez after retiring the previous eight Pittsburgh hitters.

After that walk, Treinen allowed a single, another walk and then hit Andrew McCutchen on the first pitch, bringing in the game's first run. Treinen settled down after that and got out of the frame without further damage, but that inning was one of the few times the 25-year-old looked uncomfortable on the mound.

"Any time you walk the pitcher, I'm not a pitcher, but I would imagine as a pitcher it's kind of frustrating," Desmond said. "And the emotions kind of spun away from there. But regardless, he did a great job, even with that inning."

Meanwhile, the Nationals plated just one run last night off a starter who came in with a 4.71 ERA, but Wilson Ramos, Jayson Werth, Anthony Rendon and others all had hard-hit balls that ended up merely as loud outs.

What did manager Matt Williams think of his guys' offensive approach last night?

"It was fine," Williams said. "(The Pirates) made some really nice plays, and so that happens. It's big league baseball. They're paid to do that. Didn't happen for us tonight, but we'll come back and do it again tomorrow."

"We've been running into some good pitching, good defense," Desmond said. "They made a couple really good plays on us. We hit some balls good that were right at them. They did, too. But that's part of it. Sometimes you get those bloopers and score a couple runs. But I feel like we were putting up good at-bats throughout the course of the game. It's just not producing right now, but it will come."

Getting Adam LaRoche back - possibly on Sunday, when he's eligible to come off the DL - would be a nice boost. LaRoche went 0-for-2 in five innings of a rehab game for high Single-A Potomac last night, and is scheduled to move to Double-A Harrisburg tonight.

If all goes well health-wise, he could be back with the Nats for the series finale here in Pittsburgh on Sunday.