Rodriguez great in relief again as Nats walk to 7-1 win (updated)

ATLANTA - Jeremy Hellickson wanted to get an opportunity to close out his season on a high note. That won't happen now after the right-hander re-injured his right wrist, not by pitching but by hitting in the top of the fourth this afternoon at SunTrust Park.

Disappointed as they were to see Hellickson go down again, though, the Nationals couldn't help but be encouraged by what they saw from Jefry Rodriguez, the right-hander who took over on the mound and made another strong case for inclusion on the 2019 pitching staff. In one capacity or another.

"He'll come to spring training and definitely get an opportunity to do something for us, whether it's to start or maybe even pitch in the bullpen," manager Davey Martinez said. "But he's definitely earned the right to be there, and get a close look at him and see what happens."

Forced into relief duty earlier than he probably expected when the game began, Rodriguez proceeded to toss 4 2/3 hitless innings and hold one of the National League's most productive lineups in check. And thanks to his teammates' ability to take advantage of the record 14 walks the Braves pitching staff issued, the Nationals walked away with a 7-1 victory on a long, hot afternoon at the park.

Hellickson was hoping this day would be about him, a triumphant return one month after he sprained his right wrist bracing himself for impact on a play at the plate in St. Louis following a wild pitch. And on the mound, everything was fine for the right-hander, who allowed one unearned run (albeit via his own throwing error) over his three innings of work.

But then came Hellickson's at-bat in the top of the fourth. He fouled off the first pitch he saw from Julio Teheran and felt the same sensation he felt when he injured himself last month. He tried to continue the at-bat, but after swinging at and missing the next pitch, he walked back to the dugout, took off his helmet and batting glove and removed himself from the game.

"I just couldn't grip the bat," he said.

Hellickson will get a new MRI on his wrist after he gets back to Washington, but he admitted there's not enough time left in the season to return to the mound. He'll finish the 2018 campaign 5-3 with a 3.45 ERA, forever wondering what might have been had been able to pitch more.

"It's definitely really frustrating," said Hellickson, who also hurt his hamstring covering first base June 3 here in Atlanta. "All three of these injuries have been pretty frustrating. All three out of my control. I love taking the ball every fifth day and competing and just going out there with these guys. To only make 19 starts, it sucks. But I've just got to think about other things and try to get healthy."

Rodriguez was probably going to replace Hellickson at some point in this game anyway, but his entry came a bit earlier than planned. No problem, because the lanky rookie again proved he has mastered Atlanta's potent lineup.

Rodriguez retired 15 of the 18 batters he faced, allowing zero hits. He issued a walk to Preston Tucker in the fifth and two more to Dansby Swanson and Ozzie Albies in the eighth, but that was it. And by the time he departed in the eighth, he had thrown 4 2/3 hitless innings on 75 pitches.

"He's got really good stuff," Martinez said. "It's funny, every time he does pitch, one or two guys from the other team will look and say something to me like: 'Wow!'"

This was eerily reminiscent of Rodriguez's similar emergency relief appearance earlier this summer when Hellickson got hurt in the bottom of the first. Combine that with today's appearance and a strong start on August 7, and Rodriguez has now allowed only one run on seven hits in 14 1/3 innings against the Braves this season.

"I got out there, and anything I can do to help the team, I just prepare the same way and attack the hitters the same way," he said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. "And it's been working out so far, so I stay with the same approach."

Rodriguez wound up earning the win thanks to the offensive support of his teammates, who totaled only seven hits but made the most of the 14 walks they drew along the way, a new club record for a game of any length.

Five of the batters who drew walks eventually came around to score. Another (Adam Eaton) "drove" in a run with his bases-loaded walk in the fourth.

The Nationals did score a few runs the conventional way, getting RBI base hits from Eaton, Juan Soto, Anthony Rendon, Mark Reynolds and even Rodriguez (the first RBI of his career).

But at day's end, it was the 14 walks that stood out most to everyone.

"We talk about that all the time: Take our walks," Martinez said. "We're pretty good when we take our walks. It seems like when we do that, we're able to put the ball in play really hard. And they did that, we scored some runs."