Who's tonight's closer? Stay tuned (Nationals win 6-2)

PHILADELPHIA - It's turning into a daily question for Dusty Baker: Who's your closer tonight?

"Same thing as yesterday," the Nationals manager said this afternoon.

So, Matt Albers gets the ninth inning again?

"I don't know, Albers has thrown two days in a row," Baker said. "I don't know. We'll figure it out as the game goes. That's how it's been every day."

The conglomeration of Shawn Kelley, Koda Glover and Sammy Solís all landing on the disabled list while Blake Treinen and Joe Blanton sport ERAs over 9.00 has left the Nationals without a designated closer, left to choose whomever is effective and available on any given night.

Problem is, both effectiveness and availability have been issues for this relief corps. Those who are available haven't been effective. Those who are effective haven't always been available.

The latter could be the case tonight. Albers, who on Friday recorded the first save of his 12-year career, has pitched the last two days. So has Enny Romero, who recorded his second career save Thursday afternoon.

Treinen and Blanton are available, but it's questionable how much Baker is willing to trust either struggling right-hander at the moment. Veteran left-hander Oliver Pérez could be an option if the ninth-inning matchups are right. Jacob Turner is ready to pitch after throwing four innings of relief Wednesday night, but the Nationals are potentially planning to put him back in the rotation, depending on how A.J. Cole fares in tonight's start.

"He kind of deserves to be both," Baker said of Turner. "We'll see how Cole does today. And we'll make that determination after the game today and then we'll go forward from here."

Whatever happens tonight, Albers has certainly begun to establish himself as one of the relievers Baker can most trust right now, having tossed 11 1/3 scoreless innings this season. The manager won't commit to Albers replacing Kelley or Glover once those pitchers return from injury, but he will have a role in this bullpen moving forward.

"I don't know, you don't just take another guy's job away," Baker said. "But he's proven that he belongs on the team, especially when you've got a 0.00 ERA. It's not about that. It's not about taking a guy's job away, or high leverage. It's about these guys are 'when you need it' type guys. These guys are willing to go in wherever we need them and whenever I ask them. These are very unselfish guys. That's how you want it to be."

Update: Cole hasn't been especially efficient tonight, and the Phillies have hit some pretty hard balls off him, but somehow he has made it through five innings allowing just one run.

That has kept the game within striking distance for the Nationals, and who better to deliver the big strike than Ryan Zimmerman? Robbed of a potential homer by center fielder Odúbel Herrera in his first at-bat, Zimmerman made sure nobody could rob him in his second at-bat. He blasted a two-run shot to left-center in the top of the fourth. His league-leading 13th homer and 32nd and 33rd RBIs have given the Nats a 2-1 lead.

Update II: It's good to be Ryan Zimmerman right now, huh? Even when he scorches a line drive to right that should be caught, Michael Saunders loses it in the lights and it turns into an RBI double. And then Zimmerman makes a spectacular diving catch down the first base line to end the sixth. This guy is living right.

Meanwhile, Anthony Rendon has gone deep again, this time a three-run homer that has blown open this game. Nats lead 6-1 after six.

Update III: Make it 6-2 after Cameron Rupp took Oliver Perez deep in the bottom of the seventh. The Nationals still need to get six more outs from their bullpen to wrap this one up.

Update IV: That'll do it. Nats win 6-2 as Jacob Turner records the final six outs, continuing his surprising and impressive run out of the bullpen.