Stephen Strasburg was able to throw from a bullpen mound again. But, that is where he is likely to remain until the National League Championship Series over.
Strasburg was on the mound Thursday at Nationals Park after feeling a “little discomfort” Monday at Dodger Stadium. The slight irritation caused him to stop his Monday bullpen session short by four or five pitches. Manager Dusty Baker said then he was not concerned about Strasburg stopping.
Thursday, just minutes before Strasburg began throwing in the bullpen, Baker said the right-hander would not be available for the next round of the playoffs, should the Nationals advance.
“We know he’s not going to be ready for the next series,” Baker said.
He couched that statement slightly by saying “it would be a miracle if he was.”
Strasburg has not pitched since Sept. 7, when he came out of the game in the third inning because of strained flexor mass in his right elbow. Then, Strasburg was concerned he had again torn his ulnar collateral ligament. The Nationals later took the rare step of making head trainer Paul Lessard available to the media to explain that Strasburg’s UCL was intact, and that he was dealing with a strained flexor. Strasburg went on to explain he also had a partial tear in the pronator tendon of his right elbow.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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