Could the Nationals work with Oakland again to get Tyler Clippard back to D.C.?

The Nationals bullpen has struggled to find its locked in 7-8-9 responsibilities as the season enters its third month.

Drew Storen has been the closer and done a very good job, notching 19 saves.

Casey Janssen was pegged as the eighth-inning setup man after the Nationals traded fan-favorite Tyler Clippard to the A's for infielder Yunel Escobar.

But Janssen is more of a finesse guy, and teams love to have a guy in the second-to-last inning who can bring the heat and have a devastating breaking ball to shorten games. Janssen certainly has experience, but will that be enough?

Blake Treinen appears to be getting closer because he does have the stuff. His problem last weekend against the Cubs was he was locating his sinker in to left-handers; they weren't biting because it would land low and out of the strike zone. He ended up with a season-high three walks.

But against the Yankees on Wednesday, Treinen's command improved with his sinker, and he started placing it closer to the middle of the plate. It was almost unhittable as it dipped so low but also had an above-average chance of being called a strike in the lower half of the strike zone. The hitters were deceived, and Treinen worked two scoreless innings.

David Carpenter has been added for depth but he needs to return to his 2013 status before the Nationals can have utmost confidence in his ability to be a mainstay in the bullpen.

Aaron Barrett has been too hittable. On Thursday, he left his slider up in the zone and Scooter Gennett connected with a RBI single to left field to give Milwaukee the lead for good. Barrett left the game, and it appeared that his arm might have been hurting. He was definitely in some visible stress. Manager Matt Williams had no update on Barrett after the loss.

The bullpen domino effect can be traced back to not having a consistent eighth-inning guy. Also not helping was the loss of all-everything right-hander Craig Stammen (flexor tendon surgery). He has missed over 50 games and his absence has shaken the brick wall of strength around the bullpen that helped them succeed in 2014.

Many teams have been asking about right-handed prospect Reynaldo Lopez, currently at high Single-A Potomac. The Nationals have already traded A.J. Cole and received him back the next season in another deal with Oakland.

Could the Nationals possibly be interested in reuniting with Clippard in another return-to-sender deal with the A's?

There is a buzz around minor league parks, and some scouts say that they wouldn't be surprised if Clippard returns to D.C. Oakland could use a replenishment to their farm system, and the Nats aren't afraid to deal with them.

Clippard has gone 1-3 with a 3.20 ERA and nine saves in 25 1/3 innings over 25 appearances for Oakland. The A's (25-37) are in last place in the American League West.

Clippard certainly loved his time in D.C.:

I loved every second of my time in DC, through the ups and downs the good and bad, every second was wonderful. Thanks forever Nats Nation!

-- Tyler Clippard (@TylerClippard) January 15, 2015

Some reports also have the Nationals inquiring about left-handed-hitting infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist. They are not the only team.

President of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo had his eye on Zobrist in the past, and Rizzo would certainly like to add a veteran lefty bat now that Nate McLouth is likely out for the season with shoulder issues. Zobrist is nearing his mid-30's, stands 6-foot-3 and is 210 lbs., and has a lot of teams interested, including the Yankees. That lefty bat is coveted by the Nationals.

But if Clippard somehow returns to the Nats, the surge Nats Park would be 4th of July-like in D.C. trying to get the National Mall. (You can still get to the Mall on July 4 this year from Nats Park by the way, the game against the Giants begins at 11 a.m.)

* Another infielder who is doing well, this time in the Nationals system and acquired in the off-season in the Ross Detwiler deal to Texas, is high Single-A second baseman Christopher Bostick.

The 22-year-old Rochester, N.Y., native has seven multi-hit games in his last 10 outings. He has gone 20-for-44 with a .455 average since June 1, with three doubles, two homers and five walks. Bostick is slugging at .520, and his OPS is .705. He has 13 stolen bases and 22 runs this season.