Nationals notes: James Wood’s recovery from oblique injury has been ‘pretty slow recently’

NEW YORK — It’s becoming increasingly likely that James Wood’s stint on the injured list will extend past the minimum time because of his mild oblique strain.

Nationals manager Blake Butera said before Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the New York Mets that Wood’s recovery has been “pretty slow recently.” The All-Star outfielder is still feeling discomfort and tightness, and he is limited in the on-field work he can participate in.

“We’re not going to really get into anything aggressive until he doesn’t feel it anymore, and he still feels it so he can’t really do much,” Butera said.

Wood has been out since Aug. 4, the first IL stint of his career. Oblique injuries often linger or heal slowly. Players feel their obliques with any type of rotation, and baseball is a rotational sport. Hitters put extreme force on their obliques when they turn to swing.

At the time of the injury, Butera felt encouraged by the diagnosis because the doctor had to search for the injury on the MRI. But the slow progress demonstrates the unpredictability of the recovery process.

“He says it’s getting better gradually every day, but it’s still there,” Butera said.

On Friday, Wood played out to 90 feet at 65% intensity, took dry swings at 70% intensity and hit off the tee at 60% intensity. Without Wood, the offense has still performed. Since the injury, the Nationals are tied for fifth in runs scored (57) and 11th in weighted runs created plus (106).

“We’re gonna do everything we can with the guys that are here and that can play,” Butera said. “So right now our focus is on the 13 position players that are available and on the lineup card.”

Irvin’s mixed bag

Nationals starter Jake Irvin allowed four runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and three walks in six innings Sunday. His deep start was a necessity for the Nationals to preserve the relievers after Saturday’s bullpen game and ahead of Monday’s day off.

“We knew we needed to get some innings out of him, just given the the bullpen usage as of late,” Butera said. “Obviously he got through six, but that fourth inning was the one that really killed him.”

Trouble for Irvin began in the fourth, with the Nationals leading 2-0. He allowed a leadoff single to Jared Young before getting Luis Robert Jr. out on strikes. But Irvin left a sweeper in the middle of the strike zone and Brett Baty hit it hard for a double.

An RBI groundout by Jorge Polanco got the Mets on the board, and a Luis Torrens two-run homer gave them a 3-2 lead before Irvin struck out A.J. Ewing looking to end the inning. He allowed a run in the fifth on a Young two-out double.

“The pitch to Torrens leaves you with a little bad taste in your mouth, especially trying to preserve a lead there,” Irvin said. “Other than that, I feel great about [the outing], was really convicted in the way I threw the ball. Thought we had a really good game plan going in. Thought we executed really well. Would just like one pitch back.”

Irvin’s changeup usage was higher than it has been all season. He threw 20 of them, primarily against left-handed-hitters. It was an encouraging start for Irvin, who struggled against a formidable Cubs lineup Tuesday.

The Nationals were swept for the fifth time this season and have lost 10 of their last 11 road games. They have produced four runs or fewer in each of their last three games.

Ortiz’s energy

First baseman Abimelec Ortiz always has a smile on his face. The grin widens whenever he’s producing, as he did in hitting a solo homer in the third inning.

“The pitcher was really nasty today,” Ortiz said of the Mets’ Christian Scott. “I just wanted to put the ball in play, trying to find a a good pitch. I didn’t want to strike out like I did on my first at-bat, but I just wanted to make a good contact and put the ball in play.”

Ortiz, who was acquired last winter in the MacKenzie Gore trade, has played at a high level since being promoted after the organization traded Luis García Jr. On the season, he’s posting a .306 batting average with five homers and a 1.017 OPS.

With impressive exit velocities and hard-hit rates, Ortiz is generating good contact more often than not. He doesn’t draw a ton of walks, but he controls the zone and knows what type of pitches he can do damage on. He said he homed in on his swing decisions at Triple-A Rochester.

“It’s what we saw before the trade with Texas — his spring training wasn’t very good. I think he put a lot of pressure on himself, but I think we got a better view of what Abby looks like when he was in Rochester this year,” Butera said. “He did a lot of things really well that we think would lead to success in the big leagues, and I think we’re seeing it right now.”

This article has been updated.