Wire Taps: Washington Nationals’ bullpen woes continue; Will Anthony Rendon play today?

Anthony Rendon’s elbow was sore after he returned to the lineup on Friday, so he sat out of the second of three with the Padres in D.C. yesterday. Will he be back in there today? Who will Davey Martinez turn to today if he needs relievers in a tight game? It was another rough one for the relief corps on Saturday, after which Martinez admitted the obvious, there’s an issue in the bullpen...

Go read your links while you wait to see if the Nationals can avoid a sweep in the series finale...

NATS BEAT:

Padres break open close game with six-run 10th as Nats fall 8-3 - (MASN)
"In the 10th, the Nats employed three different relievers. Each was unable to get the first batter out. The Padres tallied six runs on three hits to put the game away."

Nationals' bullpen unravels in extra innings - (MLB.com)
"As the Nationals continue to search for a solution to fix their beleaguered bullpen, perhaps the biggest issue is that it cannot all be pinned on one player."

‘We got a problem in our bullpen’: Nationals’ relievers stung again in 8-3 loss to Padres - (WaPost)
"The San Diego Padres’ 8-3 drubbing of the Nationals got out of hand in the 10th inning when the Washington bullpen, which had effectively navigated two innings, imploded again."

In desperate moment, Martinez turns to Ross for solution - (MASN)
"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."

Rendon scratched from Saturday's lineup - (MLB.com)
"Rendon was sidelined for four games before playing Friday and felt sore after the game, which manager Dave Martinez said he expected and wanted to give him a day off."

Rendon's elbow still "a little sore," bullpen ready for long run - (MASN)
"Martinez confirmed it was Rendon’s elbow that was still sore and not his quad. But the skipper is not concerned for Rendon’s long-term health."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Capitals have team outing at Washington Nationals game - (RMNB)
"Days after their season-ending loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game Seven, the Washington Capitals held a team outing at Nationals Park, Saturday."

Now in the majors, Kelvin Gutierrez could be a sleeper talent for the Royals – (The Athletic)
"[Kelvin] Gutierrez, now 24, was summoned from Triple-A Omaha on Friday after first baseman Lucas Duda went on the disabled list with a back issue."

How MLB's largest free-agent deals are panning out early on - (NY Post)
"3. Patrick Corbin - 6 years, $140 million - Everything the Nationals could have hoped and more."