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Big relief as a starter: Washington Nationals’ Paulo Espino makes bullpen games fun again

Many baseball fans cringe to learn that their team has to use a relief pitcher as an emergency starter, but if you root for the Washington Nationals, Paulo Espino is making bullpen games fun again.

When a manager goes to a bullpen game, it usually means a reliable starter is injured or otherwise unable to pitch on a given night, and bullpen games usually mean relying on three or four guys to pitch well instead of just one or two.

But even with at least one starting pitcher on the Injured List every day since June 4, the Nationals are now a .