The Washington Nationals begin a home series against the San Diego Padres, aiming to extend recent success after winning two of three on the road from both the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Guardians. The team’s bullpen has shifted from a weakness to a strength, alongside improved overall pitching and elite hitting that have driven their rise. The closer role has not been fixed early in the season, with eight different pitchers recording saves. Gus Varland’s role has largely moved to Richard Lovelady, while Clayton Beeter has seen fewer opportunities after returning from the injured list. Cole Henry is returning to the closing mix after posting a 6.43 ERA and 1.71 WHIP in limited action, and the team optioned PJ Poulin to make room.
"The Nationals are set to begin a home series against the San Diego Padres on Friday evening, and they will be hoping to extend their winning ways from the last few series they have played. After taking 2 of 3 on the road from both the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Guardians, the Nationals are trying to prove that they are actually contenders."
"Part of the reason for their drastic turnaround is the performance of the team's bullpen, which has gone from the liability and achilles heel of the team as a whole to a silent strength. In fact, the team's pitching as a whole has drastically improved over the last couple of weeks, and combining that with the team's elite hitting has propelled the Nationals forward in a big way."
"After not really coming into this season with a specified plan at closer other than riding the hot hand, the Nationals have gotten contributions from a number of arms, and are now about to welcome back another one to their closing equation in Cole Henry. In fact, the Nationals have had 8 different pitchers record a save already this season, quite the contrast from previous times."
"Henry's numbers were not spectacular in his limited time this season, as he appeared in 7 games and pitched to a 6.43 ERA and 1.71 WHIP, but he did strike out 8 batters in 7.0 innings of work. Based on what we saw from Henry last season, he can be a very legitimate weapon in the back end of the team's bullpen, but it remains to be seen what capacity he will operate in upon his return."
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