The Morning Briefing: Strasburg to the 10-Day IL; Nationals Split Series with the Diamondbacks

Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball headlines, news and the latest news for April 19, 2021

by Richard Wachtel

Updated April 19, 2021

Good Monday Morning, Washington Nationals Fans. Thank you for starting the week with us.

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Washington D.C. First Pitch Weather provided by Capital Sports Forcast: Rain chances throughout the day, likely clearing by game time. Temps in the mid-60s with light winds out of the south

Upcoming Games

Monday, April 19, 2021, St. Louis Cardinals @ Washington Nationals 7:05pm EDT
Tuesday, April 20,2021, St. Louis Cardinals @ Washington Nationals 7:05pm EDT
Wednesday, April 21, 2021, St. Louis Cardinals @ Washington Nationals 4:05 pm EDT
Friday, April 23, 2021, Washington Nationals @ New York Mets 7:10 pm EDT

Today's Morning Briefing was written by Richard.

Todays Top Story: Strasburg to the 10 Day IL

Yesterday afternoon, before his scheduled start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Washington Nationals announced that Stephen Strasburg was placed on the 10-Day IL with a right shoulder inflammation; retroactive to April 15. Surprised? Not so much...

In yesterday's pre-game press conference, Martinez mentioned that Strasburg played catch the day after his start in St. Louis.

The day after, the team returned to D.C., and Strasburg throwing a normal bullpen session later in the week Strasburg informed the club that his shoulder was bothering him: "He went through his regular routine this whole week, and after his bullpen - which he threw well - he said he didn't feel right. That was an indication we needed to get him checked out."

The team then sent Strasburg to get an MRI, and that test relieved that Strasburg did have an inflammation in the shoulder, and the Nationals decided to place him on the 10-day IL According to reports and Dave Martinez, the Nationals are setting no timetable for Strasburg's return to the lineup. "When we get Stephen back, we need to get him back right, so we have him for the rest of the year," Martinez said. "For me, it's been a crazy start of the year, from the beginning. We've got to start looking at some of this stuff and the possibility of some of these things happening. It's unfortunate, but we've got to move on. We've got to play today."

According to the University of Pennsylvania Medicine, an inflammation in the shoulder is caused by a "rotator cuff tendons become trapped under the bony area in the shoulder," which then "The tendons become inflamed or damaged...."

According to Harvard Medical School, rotator cuff treatment, the minimum time for recovery from rotator cuff tendinitis or a small tear is generally two to four weeks, and stubborn cases can take several months."

The situation raises many questions for both Strasburg and the Nationals, which we will be writing about on the Nats Report in the coming days.

The Nationals Split the Series with Arizona Diamondbacks

Yesterday, the Washington Nationals weren't able to take the series and settled for a split against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Trea Turner hit two home runs. Yesterday was Trea Turner's 6th career multi-homer game, the first of 2021. His last was September 20, 2019, in Miami.

There wasn't a lot of other offense to share, so the Nationals now will get ready for a three-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals coming to town starting tonight, then the team will travel up too NYC to face the New York Mets for the first time in 2021.

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Podcast Alert: In the Clubhouse with the Nats Report

New Episode Alert: In this week's episode, you have heard this guest sing the National Anthem at Nationals Games, Washington Football Games, and Capitals games; if you guessed D.C. Washington, you are right! D.C. Washington has been a staple of the District's sports scene for the past decade-plus, thanks to his propulsive, grandiose renditions of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Take a listen to the podcast on your favorite podcasting platform.

Apple: https://apple.co/3mYdMmO
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3egex6O

Upcoming Podcast: We are working on a guest for the mid-week episode; during the episode, we will defiantly be talking about the Strasburg situation, a recap of the Cardinal series, and a look forward to the New York Mets.