Rosenthal tries to put happy face on ragged return to mound

It had been 19 months since Trevor Rosenthal last took the mound in a major league game, and so the veteran reliever understandably was happy about that important fact.

"It was an exciting day, obviously," he said. "Getting out there for the first time, the situation, it was a good experience and something I really enjoyed and look forward to happening again."

Rosenthal said all this with a smile on his face, but behind the smile was the recognition that he's only allowed to look on the bright side this one time. He's not going to be able to smile the next time he fails to retire any of the four batters he faces in a tie game and ends up charged with the loss.

"It was a good day, a good step forward getting back," he said. "But obviously didn't end up how I wanted it to."

No, it didn't end up the way Rosenthal wanted it to, and it most definitely didn't end up the way the Nationals wanted it to, this 11-8 loss to the Mets in a game that featured all sorts of highs and lows but was defined by the eighth-inning bullpen meltdown that Rosenthal instigated.

Inserted into a 4-4 game after his teammates had rallied back from an early 3-run deficit, Rosenthal couldn't help but feel the blood pumping a bit more than the last time he pitched in a big league game. That occurred way back on Aug. 16, 2017, at Fenway Park, with the Cardinals holding a 4-2 lead over the Red Sox in the bottom of the ninth. Rosenthal immediately gave up a home run to Xander Bogaerts, then walked Mitch Moreland, then was pulled by former St. Louis manager Mike Matheny. One week later, the Cardinals announced he needed Tommy John surgery repair a torn elbow ligament.

Rosenthal's long road back included a missed 2018 season, then a late-October workout in front of 40 scouts, including Nationals special assistant Jay Robertson, who immediately called general manager Mike Rizzo and said the former closer looked great. Rizzo signed him days later for a guaranteed $7 million and made plans to use the right-hander as his primary setup man in 2019.

But when the moment to try out their new late-inning toy arrived today, the Nationals were left to witness an agonizing sequence of events.

Rosenthal thought he got off to a positive start when he induced a weak grounder to short by the slow-footed Wilson Ramos. But Trea Turner was slow to get to the ball, and then he couldn't get a good grip on it and wound up never even attempting a throw.

Things devolved quickly from there. Jeff McNeil singled to center. Amed Rosario drew a six-pitch walk to load the bases. And J.D. Davis, one pitch after fouling off a 100-mph fastball, sent an 88-mph slider into right field for a two-run single to give the Mets the lead and bring Davey Martinez out of the dugout to remove his reliever.

"I felt like I was really close to making some good pitches," Rosenthal said. "Just getting ahead, and then those two-strike pitches, making a little bit more competitive pitch around the zone."

Rosenthal would end up with two more runs charged to him after fellow right-hander Kyle Barraclough balked home a run and then allowed a two-out RBI double to Pete Alonso, turning a 4-4 tie into an 8-4 mess.

The good news: His arm is healthy and his velocity was elite. The bad news: His location was off, and the Mets made him pay for it.

"He couldn't get the ball down," Martinez said. "Struggled and kept everything up. When he's effective, his ball is down. He just couldn't get it there."

Might the extra emotion of a debut appearance for a new club in his long-awaited return from major surgery have contributed to all that?

"He's a high-intensity guy to begin with," Martinez said. "He got out there and just really was just letting it go. I know he touched 100, but it's more important (to find) location."

Rosenthal will get plenty more chances. The Nationals are counting on him to return to form and help solidify a reworked bullpen with few sure things beyond closer Sean Doolittle.

That's why he was able to crack a smile today as he thought about his long road back to a major league mound. And why he knew now it's time to get down to business.

"I feel great," Rosenthal said. "Physically, there's no real concerns. Just getting some confidence going. Get a couple under my belt. And then continue to work. That's all I can do."