On the ever-changing bullpen and Wednesday's starter

MIAMI - Gio Gonzalez was the talk of Little Havana on Monday night. And he was more than deserving of all the attention, considering the man carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the ninth at Marlins Park.

But the Nationals' 1-0 victory would not have been secured had Sean Doolittle not been able to take over once Gonzalez surrendered his lone hit of the night and then record the game's final three outs, all while facing the heart of Miami's lineup with no margin for error.

Doolittle was summoned by manager Dusty Baker after Dee Gordon's leadoff single in the ninth. As Gonzalez was showered with praise from the crowd, his teammates and even Marlins players who appreciated the performance, Doolittle was preparing to face Giancarlo Stanton with the game on the line.

Any thought Baker may have had to letting Gonzalez (whose pitch count was 106) try to finish the game on his own was quickly erased when the veteran manager recalled how Max Scherzer lost a no-hit bid and then the game the last time the Nationals were in Miami.

"I didn't really want to get (Gonzalez)," Baker said. "But they had the dangerous Stanton up there. And a number of occasions I've seen, on both sides, when you lose a no-hitter and then you lose the game. That's kind of what happened with Max last time here. So we certainly didn't want that to happen again."

It didn't, because Doolittle once again did his job.

The lefty coaxed a huge 5-4-3 double play out of Stanton to get two outs and clear the bases. And then after Christian Yelich beat out an infield single, Doolittle got Marcell Ozuna to pop up to end the game.

It was Doolittle's fourth save in as many attempts since joining the Nationals. And it was further evidence of the dramatic makeover the Nats bullpen has experienced in the last two weeks.

Since Doolittle and Ryan Madson were acquired from the Athletics on July 16, Nationals relievers have posted a combined 3.38 ERA. That ranks 10th in the majors in that timeframe.

It gets even better. Opponents are hitting just .217 against the Nationals bullpen since the trade, the fourth-best mark for any major league relief corps. Nats relievers are striking out 11 batters per nine innings since the trade, a rate bested only by the Yankees.

And all of this is before Brandon Kintzler has even set foot in the clubhouse.

That will likely occur today, when the newly acquired reliever joins the Nationals following his trade from Minnesota. Once it does happen, it will set off a new round of roster maneuvering for the ever-changing Nats.

Somebody from the current 25-man roster will have to depart to open up a spot for Kintzler. Left-hander Sammy Solís would be the most logical candidate.

There are other pitching moves that need to be made, though. The Nationals still need to decide who is going to start Wednesday night's series finale against the Marlins. None of their current five healthy starters (Gonzalez, Scherzer, Tanner Roark, Edwin Jackson, Erick Fedde) will be fully rested by then. And Stephen Strasburg isn't eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list until Thursday, removing him from consideration.

Thus, the Nationals will need to summon somebody not currently on the major league roster. The most likely choice is right-hander A.J. Cole, who could be promoted from Triple-A Syracuse and pitch on full rest.

Complicating matters, though, is the fact Gonzalez's wife Lea is on the verge of giving birth to the couple's second child. If Gonzalez is ready to go on paternity leave as soon as Wednesday, the Nationals could bring Cole up as his replacement. If not, somebody else would need to be dropped from the current 25-man roster.