Poor outings by Brad Lidge prompt team to activate Ryan Mattheus from DL – MLB News
Ever since relief pitcher Brad Lidge has returned from a sports hernia injury, he has floundered on the mound. During the whole series against the New York Yankees, he leaked runs during crucial stages of the game.
This prompts the Washington Nationals to send Lidge on an assignment and bring Ryan Mattheus out from the Disabled List. Relief pitcher, Mattheus stayed out due to plantar fasciitis before rehabilitating completely.
Lidge was not as bad before going through sports hernia surgery as he had looked in the recent games.
Drawing two saves from four opportunities, he was relatively better before the injury. It seems surgery has hampered his pitching and has affected his focus.
Assignment that he has been given now is meant for letting him have a chance to think about where he is lacking and how he can make sharp improvements.
What motivated the management more for sending him back was the fact that Ryan Mattheus was fit. Furthermore, in the rehab games, Mattheus showed command and appeared all set for an entry in the season.
The Nationals suffered a number of times due to limited options in the bullpen. With Drew Storen and few other relievers out, their bullpen was empty.
In light of this, return of Mattheus is a great sign for the club. The Nationals’ manager Davey Johnson will be hoping that Mattheus build on his rehab games and go on to strengthen their weakened bullpen.
General Manager of the club, Mike Rizzo, spoke about Lidge. Praising the way Lidge handled the matter despite being low on confidence, Rizzo stated that he had told him beforehand that his days in the bullpen are numbered.
“He handled it like the professional that he is,” Rizzo said. “After his performance last night, he told me kind of knew there would be some kind of move in the bullpen. He said he was disappointed in the way that he pitched and sorry he couldn’t turn out
better.”
With Mattheus in the bullpen, the club will be looking for a better performance from the relievers. How the Nationals’ latest move will fare for their late-innings prospects will be interesting to observe now.
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