Gonzalez on 15 day DL

This is strange.

WASHINGTON -- Mike Gonzalez still has no clue why he lost so much of his velocity during Tuesday night's game. But for the next two weeks, he'll have the opportunity to rest his left arm.

The Braves placed Gonzalez on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday afternoon and recalled left-handed reliever Macay McBride from Triple-A Richmond.

During the eighth inning of Tuesday night's game against the Nationals, Gonzalez's fastball was being clocked around 83 mph. Just three days earlier while throwing a scoreless inning against his former Pirates teammates, his fastball was registering closer to 92 mph.

Gonzalez, who missed the final five weeks of last season with tendinitis in his left elbow, isn't feeling any sort of discomfort. But the Braves want to take precaution in hopes that he's simply bothered by a dead arm.

Let's hope that this is minimal and doesn't take out our top reliever any longer.

For those who are unaware of what dead arm is, it's actually called "dead arm syndrome" and is common especially among pitchers. I found an explanation on wikipedia. It's not the best source, but at least you can get an idea.

Dead arm syndrome starts with repetitive motion and forces on the posterior capsule of the shoulder. The posterior capsule is a band of fibrous tissue that interconnects with tendons of the rotator cuff of the shoulder. Four muscles and their tendons make up the rotator cuff. They cover the outside of the shoulder to hold, protect, and move the joint.

Overuse can lead to a build up of tissue around the posterior capsule called hypertrophy. The next step is tightness of the posterior capsule called posterior capsular contracture. This type of problem reduces the amount the shoulder can rotate inwardly -- a motion needed by pitchers to throw the ball forward before releasing it.

Over time, with enough force, the player may develop a tear in the labrum. The labrum is a rim of cartilage around the shoulder socket to help hold the head of the humerus (upper arm) in the joint. This condition is called a superior labrum anterior posterior (SLAP) lesion. The final outcome in all these steps is the dead arm phenomenon.

The shoulder is unstable and dislocation may come next. Dead arm syndrome won't go away on its own with rest -- it must be treated. If there's a SLAP lesion, then surgery is needed to repair the problem. If the injury is caught before a SLAP tear, then physical therapy with stretching and exercise can restore it and return the player to the field.