The Washington Nationals have placed beleaguered closer Sean Doolittle on the Injured List with knee tendinitis after Doolittle blew his second save in five appearances on Saturday night:
Washington #Nats closer Sean Doolittle, who gave up 3 homers in the 9th inning Saturday in their 15-14 loss to the #Brewers, goes on the injured list with knee tendinitis.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 18, 2019
Doolittle had been the lone bright spot in a Nationals bullpen that was one of the worst in all of baseball in the first half of 2019. After a lights-out April, Doolittle gave up seven runs in just 9 2/3 innings of work in May.
But the bearded lefty responded with a pair of dominant months in both June and July, saving eight games in June. Unfortunately for Washington, their bullpen struggles have necessitated an extremely high usage rate on Doolittle's behalf. He leads the league with 49 “Games Finished,” according to Baseball-Reference.
In turn, Doolittle has struggled immensely since the end of July. He has given up 10 runs and five homers in just seven innings of work in August, with opponents slugging .943 against him for the month.
This is tough news for the Nationals, who are still trying to chase down the Atlanta Braves in the National League East while also hoping to hold off a slew of contenders in the NL Wild Card race.
However, newcomers Daniel Hudson and Hunter Strickland have looked very good since joining the team prior to the deadline, and Washington is also likely to get Roenis Elias back in the bullpen within the next week.
Still, Doolittle's health may hold the key to Washington's playoff hopes. Fernando Rodney has been dependable in the middle innings, but he has blown two of his four save opportunities.
The Nationals need Doolittle back at full strength for the final month of the season.
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