Baker monitoring bullpen after heavy use in first game

DENVER - The Nationals had to employ five relievers Monday night after Max Scherzer was unable to get past the fourth inning. The bullpen was outstanding, keeping the Rockies off the scoreboard for the final five innings, en route to a 5-4 comeback victory.

Matt Belisle, Sammy Solis, Blake Treinen, Shawn Kelley and Mark Melancon all pitched to combine for five scoreless innings. Oliver Perez and Yusmeiro Petit were the only relievers to not get into Monday's game.

Kelley said they should be OK for tonight. But after that, who knows. Especially with Wednesday's game being an early afternoon first pitch.

"Yeah, we'd be fine," Kelley said. "Now if it happened again, we might be talking a different story the next day, but we've been fortunate this year. Last night was kind of anomaly for us as far as Max (Scherzer) only getting through four. Usually, Max, Stras, Tanner and then Gio early and then Gio now, we've been able to bank on six or seven innings.

"So if we all had to pitch, it's maybe one or two batters, it's not like an inning each. We've had our breaks as far as getting quality starts all year. When we got to pick the guys up like we did last night, we'll do it. We'll do it again tonight if we have to. And then we'll worry about the third game, we'll see who's the freshest then."

Manager Dusty Baker said he will have to make a decision tonight whether to use many of his same bullpen guys again in back-to-back games.

"Do you go for all or nothing tonight and then worry about tomorrow?," Baker asked rhetorically. "It depends. I think it depends on where you are in the standings. It depends on the state of your team's health. If we were one game behind or one game up, you'd have a totally different idea and I probably wouldn't be resting guys like I do right now either. But we want to pad this league. We haven't won anything yet.

"You try to talk to the guys, try to see how the state of the guys are mentally and physically, and then you make your assessment or judgment from that."

Baker also said how far Gio Gonzalez can go tonight will decide everything. Gonzalez has been able to go at least six innings in four of his last five starts.

"We'd like to get some innings out of Gio (Gonzalez) tonight and then we have a quick turnaround tomorrow, which even puts more pressure on your bullpen," Baker said. "State of the bullpen depends on my starting pitcher."

Baker will not go up to Gonzalez and demand seven innings. He will just let him pitch.

"I haven't told him," Baker said. "I told you. So I'm not going to tell him. I just want him to go out and pitch. I try to keep pressure off the guys. The only reason I answered the way I did is because I was asked.

"This is a big game for Gio tonight, too, because this is his potential 100th victory ... which is a tough place to pitch."

Baker said he asked Petit to share his experience and strategy from his time pitching here while with the Giants on how to get guys out in the thin air conditions presented at Coors Field.

* Right-hander Joe Ross (right-shoulder inflammation) had a long toss session today but expects his next bullpen session to be "in about four days." So that means his bullpen is likely to be in Atlanta.

* Major League Baseball announced that Nationals minor league right-handed pitcher Yonaiker Oropeza has received a 72-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension is effective immediately. Oropeza is a member of the Nationals Dominican Summer League squad.