Washington Nationals reliever Ryan Madson imploded in Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Cubs, and afterwards, he pointed to a back issue as the likely culprit.
Madson entered the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with a 3-0 lead but proceeded to allow three batters to reach base on a single and two hit-by-pitches. David Bote then hit a walkoff grand slam to give the Cubs the 4-3 win.
During his postgame press conference, Madson revealed that he has been dealing with on-and-off back problems that send shooting pain down his leg. He added that it recurred on Sunday, leading to a poor grip on the ball and a lack of confidence in his command, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post.
Said he couldn’t grip the ball well tonight either, hence the curve that slipped at Contreras. Knew he only had fastball really and wasn’t confident in his command. Felt the back pain warming up, though has dealt with it off and on for awhile. https://t.co/ZCdQLecJS5
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) August 13, 2018
Madson, 37, now holds a 5.19 ERA on the season with nearly as many blown saves (three) as actual saves (four). The Nats acquired Kelvin Herrera at the trade deadline to set the table for closer Sean Doolittle, but both are currently on the disabled list, leaving Madson as the team’s de facto ninth-inning man.
At 60-58, Washington is now a full 5.5 games out of a playoff spot, and their bullpen has definitely not been a bright point this season. Just last month, it was another one of their (now exiled) relievers who was causing them grief.
