After a rocky start that had fans cringing every time the bullpen door swung open, the Washington Nationals' relief corps is finally finding its footing. While no one is calling them elite just yet, the unit has stopped being the automatic loss button it was early in the season. Knock on wood, but guys like Gus Varland and Richard Lovelady have been steadying the ship.

Tuesday's game against the Mets was a perfect snapshot of this turnaround. Mitchell Parker, Lovelady, and Varland combined to allow just one run over five innings, making CJ Abrams' go-ahead homer stand up as the difference-maker. That performance helped push the Nats' bullpen ERA to 4.90—still not pretty, but suddenly better than seven other teams around the league.

The new anchor of this ragtag group is Gus Varland, who locked down a gutsy four-out save with the kind of fire you want to see from a closer. In 13 outings, Varland owns a 2.84 ERA and an even more impressive 2.66 FIP, backed by swing-and-miss stuff and an expressive demeanor that screams "closer."

What makes Varland's story even better? He's a former 14th-round pick out of Concordia University who didn't crack 55 big-league appearances until age 29. Despite the journeyman path, he's found a home in D.C. this season. And it's not just him—his brother Louis is dominating with the Blue Jays, making 2025 the Year of the Varlands. Two late-round picks from the same small Minnesota school, now both closing games in the big leagues.

Varland may have the best strikeout stuff in the pen, but he's not alone. Over the last five games, Nationals relievers have surrendered just three runs in 19.2 innings. That's not a fluke—the unit's ERA has been steadily dropping for weeks. For a team looking to build momentum, the bullpen's quiet turnaround might be the most encouraging sign of all.