NEW YORK — Life as a relief pitcher can be rewarding but cruel, thrilling but infuriating, confounding but simple. Blake Treinen, a converted starter, is still learning this. Last week was proof.
In a span of six days, Treinen appeared in four games. Twice, he was utterly dominant, striking out two batters and turning in a scoreless inning. And twice he struggled, walking some batters and giving up extra-base hits to others. He allowed five earned runs in those appearances and recorded a total of five outs.
In a Washington Nationals bullpen filled with inconsistency, perhaps nobody has shifted as frequently between dominance and self-destruction as Treinen. Not too long ago, the 26-year-old was pitching the eighth inning in place of the injured Casey Janssen and viewed as a possible long-term option there. In the weeks since, he has pitched everywhere from the third inning to the ninth, searching for consistency along the way.
“I feel like I should never give up any runs when I’m out there,” Treinen said after pitching a scoreless seventh Thursday. “But it’s baseball. Things happen. I just need to make better pitches. [Take it] one pitch at a time, and things work out a lot better.”
A starting pitcher at South Dakota State, he toggled between starting and relieving as a minor-leaguer in the Oakland Athletics system before being traded to Washington as part of the three-team deal that involved Michael Morse. Treinen worked almost exclusively as a starter for two Nationals affiliates in 2013, then made his big-league debut as a reliever in 2014. The frequent role reversals continued as he shuttled between Washington and Triple-A Syracuse throughout the season.
Only this year has Treinen worked exclusively as a relief pitcher, learning the nuances of whatever situation is thrown at him. He is still making adjustments, closer Drew Storen said.
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“You just have to look at every situation the same, whether it’s on the road or if it’s in a big spot or whatever the score is, you’ve got to go out there and get outs. It comes down to executing pitches,” Storen said. “But yeah, it’s just experience, man. He’s going to get used to being in all sorts of different situations and understanding what he needs to do. He’s got unbelievable talent.”
Treinen’s inconsistency this season belies his ability. His fastballs sit at 98 or 99 mph with a strong sink. First baseman Ryan Zimmerman has called them “98 mile-per-hour bowling balls.” A slider serves as the counterpunch.
The key with those pitches, manager Matt Williams said, is that they must remain low in the strike zone. Consistency will follow.
“If he’s able to throw his fastball middle of the plate but down, then he has success and he has all the success he wants to,” Williams explained. “If he gets off the corners and gets wild, out of the strike zone, then it causes issue for him. So if you look at his outings, the outings that he’s been consistent over the plate and down, he’s done well. The outings that he has walked guys, he hasn’t done so well. So that’s the key. That’s the key for any pitcher, really. But especially for him because the ball moves so much and it’s so hard.”
Last week showed as much. On June 2, Treinen allowed three earned runs in the seventh inning, allowing an one-run deficit against the Toronto Blue Jays to balloon to four. The Nationals lost, 7-3. Two nights later, with his struggles as motivation, he needed only 14 pitches in a scoreless seventh.
“It’s just a mentality thing,” Treinen said. “I fueled off of my last outing. It fueled me.”
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On Sunday, however, Treinen’s struggles re-appeared. He walked two batters and a runner scored on a wild pitch. The search for consistency continued.
“I need to be better,” he said.
When asked about how he can become more steady on a nightly basis, Treinen talked about bringing a more aggressive mindset to the mound every night in every situation. Perhaps more focus would help, he said. But comfort will certainly help, too. That, of course, will come will experience, as Treinen takes the mound in a wider variety of situations over a longer period of time.
“He’s making adjustments. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Storen said. “He’s willing to learn. It just takes time, man.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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