No saves yet, but Melancon soaks in "special" D.C. debut

At some point, Mark Melancon will come charging out of the Nationals bullpen with his team holding a slim lead and needing him to be perfect in order to save a game.

Until then, the Nationals' new closer will just have to be content closing out lopsided victories.

"I think that's a good thing, that there hasn't (been a save situation)," he said. "We're winning. It's a good thing. But it'll be nice to get that first one out of the way, for sure."

Acquired from the Pirates exactly one week ago, Melancon has now pitched in three games with his new team, all in the ninth inning, all with the Nats leading by more than three runs. Last night's appearance (in a 5-1 game) was the tightest he has experienced so far, not that it ever felt that way.

Melancon retired the Giants in order in the ninth, striking out one and throwing nine of his 11 pitches for strikes. He has now retired nine of the 10 batters he faced since joining the Nationals.

More important to the right-hander last night was the reception he received in his first game in his new home park. The crowd of 34,036 offered up a sustained ovation when he trotted in from the bullpen, as AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" blared over the PA system.

"Oh, it was special," he said. "I had goosebumps running in. It was real special."

Melancon might have been a bit pumped up for his home debut. He hit 94 mph with one of his cut fastballs, the hardest pitch he has thrown this season.

"Holy cow, that gun's juiced," he insisted. "Keep juicing that gun, boy. They must've just wanted to make me happy tonight."

There was no artificial juicing here. The pitch registered 93.7 mph, according to MLB's official Pitch F/X system, up 3 mph from Melancon's average velocity this year.

It's been a whirlwind week for Melancon. He was in Milwaukee on Saturday when the trade went down and had to immediately board a flight to San Francisco (with a connection through Phoenix) to join his new team. The Nationals happened to play at Arizona the next day, so he hopped the team charter back to Phoenix about 24 hours after passing through there.

Then, while the rest of the team flew home to enjoy an off-day Thursday, Melancon flew back to Pittsburgh, where he helped his wife pack up their apartment, load up the car and drive (with their three children, all 4 and younger) to D.C., where they're currently staying in a hotel until they can find an apartment for the rest of the season.

He's happy to be here now, though, happy to be part of a first-place club that has won four straight games, all of them by comfortable margins that make a closer unnecessary.

"The camaraderie is really special," he said. "Everybody has a voice. A lot of leaders. I mean, aside from the obvious talent, it's a fun group."