The Washington Nationals, who are 38-23 and have a 10 1/2 game lead in the NL East, continue to have closer issues.
Saturday afternoon, current closer Koda Glover blew the save in his team's loss to the Texas Rangers (TEX 6, WAS 3). He allowed two runs in the ninth inning on a Shin-Soo Choo solo home run and a Nomar Mazara double. The Rangers went on to win the game in 11 innings on a Robinson Chirinos three-run home run.
Here's video of the game-tying and game-winning rallies:
Glover, a rookie, had been a perfect 8 for 8 in save chances prior to Saturday's blown save. He took over as the team's closer in late April, after others faltered.
Following the game, Glover told reporters he was not feeling 100 percent physically Saturday, but tried to pitch through it. He hurt his back taking a shower earlier in the day and waited until after the game to notify the team of his injury. From Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post:
"I was taking a shower, bent over to get my body wash, stood up and had a little kink," Glover said. "With some issues I've had lately I kind of pushed myself. I didn't want to take a day off. I've had three days off already, so I pushed the limits today, tried to pitch through it. And it's one of them things where it was out of my control and I should have said something early. I didn't, and now my back's in pretty bad shape."
It's unclear whether Glover will miss a few days or have to be placed on the disabled list. He pitched through a hip issue last year and told reporters, including Castillo, he is "tired of being hurt," which is why he tried to pitch Saturday.
Despite their overall success this season, things have not smoothly for the Nationals in the ninth inning. Six different pitchers have saves already:
- Koda Glover: 8
- Shawn Kelley: 4
- Blake Treinen: 4
- Matt Albers: 2
- Enny Romero: 1
- Oliver Perez: 1
Glover's back issue now puts his short-term availability in doubt. I think the odds are pretty darn good Washington will pick up a closer prior to the trade deadline. They're a bona fide World Series contender and they don't want to leave such a glaring issue unaddressed.