When he was called in from the bullpen to face the middle of the San Francisco Giants order on Tuesday, Washington Nationals reliever Trevor Rosenthal noticed something different: He wasn’t as nervous.
The former All-Star, who joined the Nationals in the offseason, had gotten off to rocky start with his new club. In his first four appearances, Rosenthal failed to record an out. His ERA was infinity. That level of futility tends to draw even more scrutiny — just see Baltimore’s Chris Davis and his hitless streak.
But last week against the Philadelphia Phillies, the 28-year-old finally recorded his first three outs of the season.