Give the Nationals credit. No move has stabilized the club more than detonating the entire bullpen. It took general manager Mike Rizzo a few tries, but the gambit seems to have worked.
What was once a bullpen headed for history — and not in a good way — has actually turned into an asset since the All-Star break. Washington’s bullpen produced a 5.71 ERA over the first half — and that mark hovered near 7.00 through the first two months of the season. How bad is that? The worst ever was the 2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays bullpen (6.16 ERA).
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In the 25 games since the All-Star break, Nats relievers have a 3.08 ERA. The sample size is small and it may not stay this way for the final 50 games. But that’s still an astounding turnaround. Washington has used 17 different relievers in 2009 and only Saul Rivera was with the team on Opening Day. But even he was quickly banished to Triple-A Syracuse, where he has spent most of the season. Six different Nats relievers have been designated for assignment — the guys the front office didn’t even want to stash in the minors. That means the club has DFA’d almost an entire bullpen. Two other relievers — Joel Hanrahan and Joe Beimel — were traded.
