Nats must put games in hands of two best relievers

It's been a ragged September for the Nationals, who despite hanging on to remain in strong position to reach the National League wild card game have gone 9-11.

This is crunch time, of course, a time for the best players on the roster to step up and deliver in key moments to help lift their team into the postseason.

Problem is, when it comes to the Nationals bullpen, the best players aren't the ones on the field in those key moments.

If you had to guess, who would you think had made the most relief appearances for this team so far this month? It's Wander Suero, with 11.

Next up? It's Tanner Rainey, with 10 appearances. He's followed by Fernando Rodney and Hunter Strickland (nine apiece), then Javy Guerra (seven).

You have to go all the way down past that quartet of right-handers to get to Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson, the two best relievers on the staff. Doolittle has pitched in only six games this month. Hudson has pitched in only four. Collectively, they've allowed only one earned run in 10 2/3 innings. They've allowed one of two inherited runners to score. They've posted a 1.13 WHIP.

Now, there are reasons why those two haven't pitched as much as the others. Doolittle has been working his way back from the injured list and has purposely been eased back into a late-inning role. Because of that, Hudson has served as closer and thus has been held back to pitch at the end of games with the Nationals leading (which they haven't done nearly as much as they'd prefer).

Still, it's pretty striking to realize that in this, the most important stretch of the season, the relievers deciding the most games are the ones who have been far less reliable than those who have performed at a more consistent rate.

It happened all weekend in Miami. Hudson recorded a six-out save Friday, which was good. But that left him unavailable for Saturday's game. And though he warmed up late in Sunday's game, he never appeared because the Nationals gave up a 3-1 lead in the seventh and never rallied. Hudson notched a pair of two-inning saves during the road trip, but those were his only two appearances.

Doolittle, meanwhile, also warmed up this weekend but never appeared in any of the games. In fact, the lefty pitched only once during the entire road trip: the first game in St. Louis, when he retired two of the three batters he faced but wound up charged with the loss because the one batter he walked scored later on a double off Strickland.

Both guys have said they're willing to do whatever is asked of them the rest of the season, recognizing the need to go all-in and try to reach the wild card game and beyond. And Davey Martinez has said he wants to use both top relievers more.

Asked before Sunday's game if there's going to be a point where he simply has to use Doolittle with the game on the line, Martinez replied: "Absolutely."

"I talked to him already, my first day back, Friday night. He came into the office and we talked for a little bit," the manager continued. "I told him: 'It's time. You're either going to pitch the ninth or pitch the eighth. But you're going to have to pitch in big moments.' And he was up for it. He's ready. He said: 'I'm good, and I'm ready to go.'"

It never happened, because Doolittle was being saved for a situation that never arose.

Obviously, a manager has to map out a pitching plan for each game that includes someone reliable for the ninth inning. He can't burn his best relievers earlier and then have nobody left to close.

But the time may have come for best-laid plans to be thrown out the window. There's no more time to save anybody for later.

The Nationals bullpen is a problem now, just as it's been all season long. Martinez doesn't have a wealth of great options down there. But he's got two proven late-inning relievers who have pitched well so far this month, albeit in limited action.

There are eight games to play in the next seven days, eight games that will determine whether the Nats host the wild card game, go on the road (most likely to Milwaukee) for the wild card game or go home without reaching the postseason.

The Nationals cannot leave those games in the hands of Suero, Rainey, Rodney and Strickland. If they're going to go down, they have to go down with their best on the mound.

And who knows, maybe their best on the mound will actually help lift them into October and bring their manager and their fans some long awaited peace of mind.