Soriano had a perfect ninth inning during Thursday's non-save situation at Miami. Soriano entered the game with a four-run lead, and quickly retired the side. Drew Storen has been lights out as the team's closer recently, so it would be a surprise if manager Matt Williams turned back to Soriano.

Soriano got the call in the ninth inning Monday to protect a four run lead, but coughed up two runs on two hits and a walk while recording just two outs. Drew Storen had to come on to get the final out. Any chance Soriano might have had of regaining his closer spot before the end of the regular season probably evaporated on Monday.

Soriano pitched the eighth inning in Wednesday's loss to the Braves, giving up two hits in a scoreless frame while striking out one. His slider seemed sharper than it had been when he was removed from the closer job, but he still gave up a few hard-hit balls. With Drew Storen looking very good in ninth-inning duties, expect Soriano to continue to work in low-leverage situations for the time being.

Soriano threw a bullpen session on Monday and felt he was better able to keep the ball down in the strike zone, the Washington Post reports. "He's flying open," pitching coach Steve McCatty said. "We've talked about it a million times with pitchers. When you're flying open, the ball gets elevated. Just staying back and getting in a proper position, and releasing the ball out front instead of falling behind you." Drew Storen has looked very good in converting two saves while Soriano gets his mechanics under control, so don't look for the Nats to rush Soriano back into the closer role. Look for him to see work in non-save situations this week before manager Matt Williams considers giving him his job back.

Nationals manager Matt Williams said Saturday that the team will go without a set closer for the time being, Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com reports. The club will attempt to get Soriano, who gave up two homers Friday en route to his seventh blown save of the year, back on track by resting him and having him refine his mechanics in a bullpen session. Once the Nats feels confident in where he's at, they will likely start him off with some lower-leverage work. Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen and Matt Thornton were all named as candidates to see save chances depending on the matchups, but Clippard seems like the obvious choice to see most of the opportunities.

When asked about the closer situation after Friday's extra-inning loss to the Phillies, Nationals manager Matt Williams said, "We'll address it, yeah. We need to address it", the Washington Post reports. Williams mentioned Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard and Matt Thornton as potential ninth-inning replacements for Soriano should he be yanked from the closer role, even if on a temporary basis. If Williams makes the switch on Saturday though look for Storen, who only faced one batter on Friday, to get the nod.

Soriano allowed three runs while retiring two batters and blowing a save opportunity Friday against the Phillies. Soriano surrendered a two-run homer to Carlos Ruiz and a solo shot to Ben Revere, who now has just two home runs on the year. The Nationals have stuck with Soriano through thick and thin, but manager Matt Williams may start to think about making a change leading up to the playoffs given the recent ineffectiveness for Soriano. Soriano has allowed five runs on 10 hits with two walks in his last five appearances.

Soriano allowed an unearned run Wednesday afternoon en route to his sixth blown save of the season. Wednesday's game featured three blown saves -- Soriano and Tyler Clippard each missed an opportunity for the Nats -- but there still doesn't appear to be a changing of the guard on the horizon for the closer role in Washington despite the fact that Soriano has allowed at least one run in five of his last nine appearances.

Soriano notched the save Saturday against the Mariners, giving up two hits but no runs while adding a strikeout. Soriano is having a great season, with a 2.52 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, a 50:19 K:BB, and 30 saves for the NL East-leading Nationals.

Soriano pitched the ninth inning in a non-save situation Friday, giving up one run on three hits and striking out one. It was an interesting decision by Nats manager Matt Williams, as the $14 million option on Soriano's contract for 2015 kicks in if he finishes 120 games between last season and this one. He finished 58 games in 2013 and is currently at 44 this year, and it's extremely unlikely that Soriano will even get 18 save opportunities (much less convert them all) over the Nats' next 29 games. If Williams keeps calling on him in non-save situations, it could be an indication that the front office has decided it's worth trying to vest that option.