Matt Grace says new relievers help bullpen "feed off one another"

The additions of three newcomers in the bullpen in Brandon Kintzler, Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson has helped the Nats bullpen get back on track and establish a new identity.

Left-hander Matt Grace said the mindset the newly shaped bullpen exudes rubs off on the other guys that are still here.

"I think so. I think if everyone is pitching well in a bullpen it lends yourself to better situations. That first and foremost sets guys up in better roles and more familiar roles," Grace said. "So, whenever everyone is kind of clicking on the same page and doing their own job individually, I think it helps the whole out collectively, for sure."

Grace said that one positive aspect to the addition of the trio is the opportunity to watch them get ready for games, and that he looks to incorporate some of their pregame techniques into his own preparation.

"(Seeing how) those other guys go about their business and what makes them successful, you can pick up on some things in that regard too," Grace said. "I think you can feed off one another."

But Grace said the game still boils down to an individual matchup between pitcher and batter. No matter how much advice he receives before heading to the mound, he still must command his stuff to get guys out. And when the bullpen wasn't clicking early in the season, Grace said, he had to tackle situations he wasn't be accustomed to.

"You're always going to be locked in and focused on what you can control, first and foremost," Grace said. "But I think maybe you find yourself in different situations then you are used to. That's the only thing. But I think when everyone's on the same page and it's all going well, it's just a little bit easier."

Manager Dusty Baker let us in on the types of personalities the new trio bring to the table: from muted confidence to resilient worker.

"Madson and Doolittle are relatively quiet, but they fit in where they get in," Baker said. "Kintzler is a little more talkative, and he's a guy who's had a little tougher road than the other two, even though Doolittle told me he was a first baseman that was turned into a pitcher. He was talking to Max (Scherzer) or something that he was on the USA team and was a first baseman. Who knows, I might let him hit some times."

Doolittle was a first baseman when he was originally drafted by the Oakland A's. In 2005 at the University of Virginia, he hit a team-leading 11 homers. His teammate, Ryan Zimmerman, hit six in that same campaign. Now in the National League, don't be surprised to see Baker break out his secret weapon someday to have Doolittle pinch-hit.