Janssen update, plus notes on Giolito, Solis, Barrett, Strasburg, Treinen and bullpen

Nationals right-hander Casey Janssen, who is on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation, got knocked around Sunday in his second rehab assignment with the high Single-A Potomac Nationals. Arriving in the seventh, Janssen allowed a home run, double and triple, but finished the inning.

Of course, you don't want to get knocked around in a rehab outing, but more importantly for Janssen is how the shoulder feels the day after. If he feels good Monday, his next outing would likely be Tuesday. That would ramp up his rehab to two days' rest instead of three days between outings. Then the next step would be back-to-back appearances. He told us Friday at Nationals Park that he felt better than he thought he would after his first appearance.

As he ramps up his frequency of appearances, Janssen could also move up a level to test himself against Eastern League competition. Potomac is on the road at Wilmington, Del., while Double-A Harrisburg is home to face Reading through Wednesday night.

The P-Nats list Reynaldo Lopez for Tuesday night and Nick Pivetta as the starter Wednesday in Wilmington. That provides an extra day of rest for Lucas Giolito for a Thursday start in Delaware. He started on Friday and hit 97 mph on the radar gun, firing 82 pitches, 50 for strikes in five innings of work.

I got a call on "Nats Talk Live" after Sunday's comeback win versus the Braves that the bullpen has been struggling. Despite Aaron Barrett allowing three runs Saturday, I just don't see too many struggles. The team had a pair of 1-0 wins over the Mets last week and Drew Storen has now piled up nine saves, four of them since May 2.

The Nationals bullpen is a No. 6 in the National League with a 3.21 ERA. The Cardinals lead the way with a 1.61 ERA. The Nationals are tied for third with 10 saves in the first month-plus of the season (the Cardinals, Mets lead with 15 each). Washington's WHIP of 1.29 is currently fifth on the senior circuit (the Mets are tops at 0.960).

From the seventh inning on, the Nats have just a 3.99 ERA, which is 10th in the NL (the Cardinals lead with a 2.19 ERA). With runners on base, the Nationals relievers are fourth in the NL in ERA at 6.97.

Right-hander Blake Treinen had a couple of rough outings early on, but the Nationals are putting him in low-leverage situations to get him some confidence and build experience. He allowed a run in three straight appearance from April 28 to May 4. But in his last two outings against Miami and the Braves, he has not surrendered a hit or a run.

As for Barrett, he gave up three runs Saturday, but in nine appearances prior to that game, he surrendered only two earned runs. His ERA was 1.46 before that game. He will be fine.

The left-handers in the bullpen have a nice mix now. Veteran Matt Thornton has been playing the specialist role, and 26-year-old Matt Grace has used his Arizona Fall League experience to help him at the top level. While newcomer Sammy Solis has worked his way up in the Nats system.

Solis earned his first major league victory Sunday. His first minor league win was 2011 as a starter for Potomac.

This road trip will be special for Solis and starter Stephen Strasburg.

Solis will get to pitch in his home state as a big leaguer. He went to Agua Fria High School in Avondale, Ariz., and was originally an 18th-round selection of the Diamondbacks in 2006. Solis played his college ball at the University of San Diego (with Indians infielder and former Nats property Zach Walters) and was a West Coast conference first-team selection as a junior.

Strasburg's start has been pushed to Tuesday in Arizona. Max Scherzer will start the opener tonight at Chase Field. This means that Strasburg will get a shot at starting in his hometown of San Diego on Sunday. His only start in San Diego was May 2013. He is 3-1 with a 3.24 ERA in four starts against his hometown team, but the lone start at Petco Park was two years ago. He won that game, going eight innings and allowing just one earned run.