Nats left-handed pitcher John Lannan will miss his next start thanks to swelling in his left elbow. The 25-year-old struggled on Sunday in a 9-3 loss at Florida. He is 1-2 with an 6.34 ERA right now. The problem comes on breaking pitches and change-ups, where Lannan has been feeling “a little something” in his elbow, according to manager Jim Riggleman The problem isn’t an issue when he throws his fastball.
Nats general manager Mike Rizzo said before Tuesday’s game vs. the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park that Lannan had an MRI after a start in Wrigley Field against the Cubs on April 26. He also had a cortisone injection to reduce the swelling.
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No word on who will pitch for the Nats on Saturday – Lannan’s next scheduled start. Collin Balester is scheduled to start that night for Triple-A Syracuse. But reliever Miguel Batista has also served as a spot starter this season and pitched in long, long relief. At this point, team officials say there are no plans to put Lannan on the disabled list or for him to undergo surgery. The MRI came back clean save for the swelling. Of course, this is exactly what we were told last June when Jordan Zimmermann had some elbow discomfort and had a start pushed back. Within six weeks he was scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery. Not trying to overreact. But pitchers and elbow pain go hand-in-hand with “Hold your breath.”
