In desperate moment, Martinez turns to Ross for solution

There was not an eighth-inning implosion from the Nationals bullpen Saturday.

Sure, there was a walk to start the frame. That's an issue the bullpen has had this season - allowing a baserunner early in an appearance. But something unique happened after that.

Right-hander Joe Ross allowed a single to the Padres rookie sensation Fernando Tatis Jr., then struck out the No. 2 hitter Wil Myers with a dramatic full-count swing-and-miss on an 89 mph diving slider.

During the at-bat, Ross peppered Myers with the kitchen sink of eight pitches: four-seam fastball, slider, sinker and changeup, over and over, until he succumbed to the difficult-to-touch slider.

But the inning ended on another example of quality pitching: allowing your defense to play behind you. Ross used a 95 mph sinker to get Manny Machado to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. During the twin killing, rookie shortstop Carter Kieboom made a nice glove stop and relay to second baseman Brian Dozier, who made a perfect turn to end the rally.

This allowed the Nats to venture to the bottom of the ninth still tied at 2-2, a feeling they have not enjoyed too much in an up-and-down April.

It all fell apart in the 10th, but the Nats bullpen did get through the eighth and ninth unscathed, thanks to Ross and Sean Doolittle.

Manager Davey Martinez said after Saturday's 8-3 setback he likes what he sees from Ross in high-leverage situations. Martinez also believes he can trust left-hander Tony Sipp as the veteran builds back strength in his shoulder after signing late.

"I used Ross in a high-leverage situation in the eighth inning," Martinez said. "He did great, so that's a plus. Doo is Doo. Sipp is starting to pitch like Sipp and he hasn't had spring training, so he's going through that, so he's going to be used in the right moments."

Ross has gone from starter to long man to now being the next candidate to fill the role of eighth-inning stopper - a job they desperately need to be completed if they have any hopes of getting back to consistent winning.

Ross has now not allowed a run in three straight appearances after a 10-day layoff. From April 9-19, the club was trying to get Trevor Rosenthal back on track and had Ross in the long man role, which never materialized. So Martinez put Ross into the eighth inning.

"For me, it's just like I said, I've got to instill trust in all these guys," Martinez said of Ross in late-inning calls. "He's stepped up and he's doing well. With that being said, we've still got to manage his innings, his up and downs, just because he hasn't done it before and he's coming off Tommy John surgery."

Left-hander Matt Grace, who Ross said recently was his mentor on how to prepare his conversion from starter to reliever, understands the learning curve the 25-year-old has had to go through to be ready.

"I can imagine it being pretty difficult," Grace said of Ross' transition. "It's two very different things. Starters are used to having their routine, bullpen is more of just kind of on the fly. You go with your best stuff that day type of mentality. So I can understand it being a little bit of a transition."

Grace said relievers have times when they warm up and then sit down. It is tough thing to do if you are not used to it.

"I would say (yes), especially from where he's been starting," Grace said. "I feel like that's one of the biggest transitions. Judging by the situations in the game when you're warming up and how to use those warm-up throws most effectively so you are not in there throwing 30 or 40 pitches before you get into the game. It's an ongoing process throughout the year that matters. You can't just be consistently getting up and throwing down there. It's not a recipe for success."

Martinez said he has worked with Ross on how to not let bullpen warm-ups affect how good his stuff is when he finally get the call into the game.

"I talked to him again (Friday) night because he got up," Martinez said prior to Saturday's game. "Because he was coming into the game if the game stayed tied. He said he felt great (Saturday) morning. He's ready to go, a testament to how hard he works. He's embraced this role. I try to tell him, I say, 'Hey, you're going to be used as a regular bullpen guy. Just don't think you're a long guy.

"We'll find a spot where we can put you in. Right now, I look at this (Padres) lineup and they got all the right-handed hitters, which he matches up well with, so he will be available (Saturday)."

That was correct and Ross delivered on that prediction. In this desperate moment with other bullpen arms not finding outs as quickly a Martinez had envisioned, Ross is a reliever he can go to in the eighth inning to put up zeros.