Nationals still mum on Wednesday night's starter

The Nationals are remaining mum about the identity of Wednesday night's starting pitcher, though Dusty Baker hasn't ruled out the possibility of Stephen Strasburg coming off the disabled list to face the Braves.

Strasburg appeared lined up to make that start, his first since landing on the DL with a sore elbow on Aug. 21. But the right-hander threw off the bullpen mound at Nationals Park this afternoon, and that's not typically what a pitcher would do the day before he starts.

Baker didn't rule out the possibility, though, suggesting the club wanted to check how Strasburg felt after the bullpen session.

"That's why we're going to tell you after the game: to see how he comes out of throwing today," the manager said. "It's probably a very short bullpen, if he has a chance to pitch tomorrow. I don't have anything to tell you. We'll tell you after the game."

Strasburg has now thrown five times in the bullpen over the last nine days, and according to Baker "he seemed like he's coming out of his sessions good."

If the Nationals decide not to activate Strasburg for Wednesday's game, they could start either A.J. Cole (who would be on normal rest after pitching Friday night against the Mets) or Lucas Giolito (who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse today and also last pitched Friday night).

Giolito joined infielder Wilmer Difo as today's call-ups, giving the Nationals 35 active players for tonight's game. Four others (Strasburg, Joe Ross, Stephen Drew, Sammy Solis) are working toward returning from the DL before season's end. The only players on the organization's 40-man roster who aren't in the big leagues now are catcher Spencer Kieboom and infielder Chris Bostick.

Ross, by the way, pitched three innings for Syracuse on Monday, giving up one run on three hits in his third rehab start. He threw 42 pitches in the game, then threw more in the bullpen afterward to get some more work in.

With the Chiefs' season over, the Nationals are still trying to decide what to do next with Ross, who has been out since July 3 with shoulder inflammation. Ideally, they'd like for him to throw 80 pitches before activating him off the DL, but the only option to do that may have to come in a simulated game against big league hitters.

"We'd like to get him stretched out a little bit," Baker said. "It makes it tougher now that the season has ended down there. It all depends how late some teams go in the playoffs, whether he'll pitch again down there."