For those who didn't see it last night, or read about it this morning, Chad Cordero had a most-bizarre eighth-inning appearance at Shea Stadium. The Nats closer, who recently came back from a stint on the DL with right shoulder tendinitis, was pumping out fastballs that registered in the high 70s and finally "maxed" out at 82 mph by his 20th offering.

Team officials were understandably concerned, so Manny Acta and Jim Bowden met with Cordero for 15 minutes following the game. Chad insists he's not hurt, that he feels no pain in his shoulder. The Nats believe him when he says that (and for what it's worth, so do I). Cordero believes the problem last night was that he didn't have enough time to warm up, and on a cold night at Shea, he never could get loose.

That said, it's hard to believe there's not something more significant going on here. Cordero may not be feeling any pain in his shoulder, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's completely healthy. Remember, he received a cortisone shot on March 30 after first reporting pain. Is it possible the effects of that shot are now masking an unknown injury? I'm not a doctor, so I wouldn't claim to understand how this all works. But it certainly seems plausible.

I would not be surprised if Cordero undergoes some more medical tests, perhaps another MRI (the first one two weeks ago showed no structural damage). In the meantime, Acta says he won't use Chief in any tight situations until he regains some arm strength. That means Jon Rauch is your closer for the foreseeable future, and Cordero is, what, a mop-up man?

Wow, who in the right mind saw this coming a month or two ago?