Rookies shine brightest for Nationals in key win over Mets

NEW YORK - The 2016 Nationals are built to win, first and foremost, with experienced stars. Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth, Daniel Murphy, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Ryan Zimmerman are supposed to lead the way and (in the best-case scenario) lead this franchise to the promised land come October.

But Mike Rizzo is, at his core, a development guy. And so the general manager has attempted to infuse his veteran-laded roster with a handful of young players that can inject life and energy to the proceedings. Oh, and who can also play a little baseball, as well.

"Remember in spring training, I said I looked forward to having some youthful exuberance, and the veterans give them wisdom and knowledge," manager Dusty Baker said. "I like that combination of old and young."

It's a good combination to have, but sometimes it's OK to just throw the kids into the fire and see how they handle the heat. Consider tonight's 4-1 victory over the Mets evidence that the young guys are handling it just fine, thank you very much.

This was a win made possible in no small part by the contributions of three rookies who were given an opportunity to perform under the spotlight and rose to the occasion: A.J. Cole, Trea Turner and Koda Glover.

Cole, making his fourth career start, held the Mets to one run and three hits over six innings, earning his first career win in the process. Turner continued his dynamic rookie campaign with two more hits, two more stolen bases and the first run of the game. And Glover survived the biggest test yet of his brief big league stint, pitching out of a tight jam in a one-run game against the defending National League champs.

How have these rookies, all 24 and younger, managed to thrive in these situations?

"I think you don't really have a choice," Turner said. "If you don't step up to the plate and give it all you got and compete, you'll get replaced. I think that's just the game of baseball. Some guys can handle it, some guys can't. Thankfully so far, we've had a few guys able to do that."

Turner has become not just a contributor but a major cog in the Nationals' offensive game plan. The rookie leadoff man is now hitting .347 in 45 big league games this season, with 20 extra-base hits, 22 RBIs, 35 runs and 20 stolen bases.

Cole has been more of a surprise, a fallback option when the Nationals needed a fill-in starter with Strasburg and Joe Ross on the disabled list and fellow prospects Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez struggling to find consistency at this level. The lanky right-hander has responded with three strong outings, capped by tonight's gem against the Mets.

Cole got through the first three innings with ease, but then after allowing a leadoff homer to Asdrubal Cabrera and putting two more batters on base in the fourth, he faced a crossroads. Was that as much as Baker could expect from his young starter, or was there more in the tank?

Cole proved there was more in the tank. He escaped the fourth-inning jam by getting Curtis Granderson to pop out and striking out Kelly Johnson. He then retired the heart of the New York lineup for a third time, departing after the sixth with his team's 2-1 lead intact.

"You know, the second time through and the third time through, I knew I had to make my pitches and I couldn't just throw one over the plate," he said. "I knew (a jam) was going to happen eventually. I didn't want it to happen. But I made a few mistakes and went from there. I just battled back and fought and made my pitches and got it."

The biggest jam of the game, though, came in the bottom of the seventh. Left-hander Marc Rzepczynski struck out a pair of left-handed batters but then put two righties on base. Baker emerged from the dugout and signaled to the bullpen, where Glover emerged to take over a tense situation.

"If you're here, we're going to use you," Baker said.

This was only the 10th appearance of Glover's big league career, but the steely eyed right-hander has displayed the nerve of a far more experienced reliever. And he displayed it again tonight, striking out Jose Reyes at the end of a seven-pitch battle, stranding the tying runner in scoring position.

"I mean, it all comes down to experience," Glover said. "You have to get your feet wet to get experience. I'm fortunate enough that I'm getting to throw in big situations like tonight. I'm just thankful."

The Nationals are thankful to have discovered this hidden gem in the eighth round of last summer's First-Year Player Draft out of Oklahoma State. Baker has more than once suggested the rookie could make an impact comparable to what Francisco Rodriguez did as a September call-up for the Angels in 2002, setting up closer Troy Percival all the way to a World Series title.

So far, the kid - just like Turner and Cole - is showing he's up to the challenge.

"We've still got a ways to go, and the pressure cooker is about to mount," Baker said. "So we'll see. You keep doing the job, we'll keep putting you out there. ... Koda's doing an outstanding job, and we were told when he came here that he was a gamer and he wasn't afraid. And he doesn't seem intimidated by the big stage or by circumstances whenever we put him in a ballgame."