The Washington Nationals have had some trouble with the back end of their bullpen this season, and those problems could be magnified if Ryan Madson is forced to miss an extended period.
Madson was unavailable for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of a sore pectoral muscle, and Nationals manager Dave Martinez confirmed after the game that the right-hander will be placed on the disabled list and undergo an MRI.
Martinez confirmed Madson to the DL. Said Madson will get an MRI tomorrow.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) May 20, 2018
Madson, whom the Nationals acquired in a trade with the Oakland A’s last season, has a 4.19 ERA this season but is still Washington’s most trusted eighth-inning reliever behind Sean Doolittle. The 37-year-old has also been called upon in save situations and has converted in three out of four of them.
The Nationals were swept by the Dodgers over the weekend, and their bullpen issues were on full display Sunday. They entered the eighth inning trailing by one and ended up losing 7-2 when Wander Suero and Shawn Kelley allowed L.A. to break things open. Madson has appeared in 21 of the Nationals’ 45 games this season, so it’s possible the heavy workload has caught up to him.
