Strasburg reveals discomfort was in ankle not shoulder, says bullpen "went good"

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg had a good bullpen session today, four days removed from his May 5 loss to the Marlins in which he felt tightness in his shoulder. Strasburg revealed that it was actually his ankle that was bothering him in that start, causing him to change his mechanics to try to protect it. That, in turn, caused the slight pain in his shoulder.

"It went good," Strasburg said. "No problems. I actually threw it for the first time without having my ankle taped up, it was more of a mental thing. Felt good, ankle didn't feel bad and I think it kind of helped my alignment a little bit better. So that's all I could ask for. Just keep plugging away. Go out there and play catch tomorrow and be ready to go when my name's called."

Strasburg said they were able to diagnose the alteration he had made with his delivery by watching video of his starts with pitching coach Steve McCatty. Then the chiropractor helped to find the pain point and release it in his back.

"With Cat and me looking at a lot of video and stuff, we started to notice I was landing a little bit more too much from where I need to be," Strasburg said.

"The issue that I had was corrected within 45 minutes of seeing the chiropractor. Ever since then, it hasn't been an issue. The biggest thing is addressing the other things that kind of led to it."

The team's medical and training staff worked with Strasburg and was able to figure out that it was not the shoulder that was the cause of the pain.

"It's what called a back tightness," Strasburg said. "It was never a shoulder issue. What caused my back tightness was I think an extension of a change in mechanics from the ankle. I just started throwing across my body a little bit more than I have in the past. Talking to the trainers, talking to the physical therapists, just noticed my hips got a lot tighter through that process. So just going to try to get them back to where they need to be and should make things better.

"I'm not 21 any more, but it felt good and it felt better. I think the biggest thing that I am trying to establish again is being able to get over my front side going towards home plate instead of cutting it off and spinning, like flying open. I started getting more of a feel for that, and that's just something I know I've been able to do in the past. I just need to get back to doing that and being more consistent with it."

The team has not decided yet when Strasburg will start again. The Nationals begin a road trip in Arizona on Monday night and then moved onto San Diego on Thursday.

"We are going to see how he feels tomorrow," manager Matt Williams said. "It's a natural progression. All indications are he's feeling much better. That's a positive sign for us I know."

Because of the off-day last Thursday, pitchers will be on their normal rest so Williams can adjust the rotation without affecting each starter's schedule.

"We do have flexibility within the next turn, the whole next turn to go ahead and put him anywhere we want to," Williams said. "We'll consult with him. We'll make sure that he's feeling good and make a determination on what kind of further rest he may need."