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SEATTLE – The Nationals hope to have Kyle Finnegan available to them for tonight’s series opener against the Mariners, but the closer’s availability was still up in the air as the team took the field this evening for pregame workouts.
Finnegan hasn’t pitched in five days due to shoulder fatigue, a seemingly minor ailment that kept him from taking the mound in the ninth inning of Saturday’s 3-0 victory over the Giants. The Nats lost Sunday’s series finale, so there was no save situation, but it appears their closer would not have been available if they held a lead in the ninth.
Finnegan, who has never spent a day on the injured list in five-plus seasons in the big leagues, expressed confidence the ailment wasn’t serious and believed by mentioning it quickly he avoided any kind of long-term problems. But he still needs to pitch in a game until anyone can say for certainty.
“I’m not going to assume anything until he goes out there and actually throws,” manager Davey Martinez said. “Right now, I have high expectations that he will be able to pitch for us today. But if he doesn’t, we’ll see where he’s at. If he’s better than he was a few days ago, that’s a good sign. If he’s not, then we’ll have to sit down and talk to him and maybe do something else.”
Finnegan was set to throw pregame during batting practice and see how his arm felt. In addition to the physical sensation in his shoulder, the Nationals planned to pay attention to his mechanics for any sign of trouble.
“We’re going to look, as far as when he throws, his extension, if he’s not cutting the ball off,” Martinez said. “If he’s getting extended and the ball’s coming out, that’s a good sign.”
Veteran setup man Jorge López filled in for Finnegan to close out Saturday’s win and record the 32nd save of his career. Finnegan is 15-for-18 in save situations this year and ranks second in club history with 103 saves, only 10 behind record holder Chad Cordero.
“Hopefully with a couple days’ rest,” Martinez said, “he’s able to bounce back and go out there and pitch the ninth for us.”
* Jacob Young made the trip with the team out west, a good sign he is making progress in his return from his own shoulder injury.
Young hasn’t played since May 17, when he slammed into the center field wall in Baltimore trying to make a leaping catch and jammed his left shoulder in the violent collision. He was diagnosed with a sprained AC joint but didn’t go on the 10-day IL until May 23 (backdated the maximum three days), making him eligible to return Friday when the Nats open a weekend series in Arizona.
Young was set to take swings in the cage today for the first time since going on the IL, hoping to be able to get full extension on his follow-through without experiencing the same discomfort he had post-injury.
“We’ll see where he’s at, but he’s been doing everything else,” Martinez said. “As soon as we can get him ready, we’ll activate him. But it’s all about his hitting, really. He couldn’t finish his swing. I want to make sure he’s 100 percent when he comes back.”
Given his short timeframe on the IL, is it possible Young could be activated without needing a minor league rehab assignment?
“It could be,” Martinez said. “For me, I always like to send guys out to play a couple games, just to make sure. I want to get him in game situations where he’s not thinking about things. But we’ll see where he’s at. And we’ll see how the rest of the guys are doing. If everybody’s healthy, then it allows us to do different things.”
