Sean Doolittle warmed up late in the series finale in Miami, with Washington up 7-4 after eight, so Davey Martinez used the Washington Nationals’ closer in the ninth even though they were up by four at that point after adding a run in the top of the inning. It was Doo’s second straight outing against the Marlins, so he was unavailable on Friday in the series opener with the Tigers in Detroit.
Wander Suero was unavailable as well after pitching in each of the previous two games, so with the Nationals ahead 3-1 after eight and a half, Martinez turned to 42-year-old, one-time Tigers’ closer Fernando Rodney in the bottom of the ninth in Comerica Park.