Nats 8, Phillies 1
It was as Pyrrhic a victory as the Nationals will have all season. They beat the Philadelphia Phillies decisively on Saturday night. But in the fifth inning rookie right-hander Stephen Strasburg had to leave the game after straining the flexor tendon in his right forearm. An MRI is scheduled for tomorrow in the District to determine the severity of the injury, general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters after the game.
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Cruising through a game at Citizens Bank Park with two hits allowed and six strikeouts on just 56 pitches, Strasburg visibly winced as he threw a 1-1 change-up in to Phillies batter Domonic Brown. Strasburg himself waived trainer Lee Kuntz to the mound along with catcher Ivan Rodriguez and the coaching staff and was pulled from the game for reliever Craig Stammen. The 22-year-old muttered to himself as he left the mound. But it was obviously the right decision. Remember, Strasburg was scratched about 10 minutes before a July 27 game against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park with a shoulder issue and went on the 15-day disabled list. This was his third start since then.
Not a good sign. But this is also the most innings Strasburg has pitched in his life with 68 now in the major leagues and another 55 1/3 in the minors for a combined 123. And those have been against professional batters, not the overmatched college hitters he faced at San Diego State. We’ll have to wait to see exactly what happened on that pitch to Brown. At most Strasburg had 37 innings left to him this season, according to the plan Washington’s front office put together before the season started. But his prognosis for the rest of this season is in doubt until the Nats get back the results from the MRI.
“You’re always concerned when your pitcher leaves in the middle of the game, but we’ll see what the MRI says,” Rizzo said. “We’ll read the MRI, talk to the doctors and act accordingly.”
Strasburg was pitching beautifully when the injury struck, controlling one of the sport’s better lineups on the road in a bandbox of a ballpark. Despite a 5-1 lead at the time he didn’t qualify for the win, falling two outs shy. Still, as a rookie he is 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. That’s in line with what the Nats thought the 2009 No. 1 overall draft pick could do in his first year as a pro. In all, Strasburg has made 12 starts with 17 walks and 92 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .221 against him.
All that overshadowed the win. Ian Desmond batted 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Adam Dunn drew three walks. Ryan Zimmerman had a double while Nyjer Morgan tripled. And Roger Bernadina was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and a spectacular leaping catch in left field to rob Ryan Howard of extra bases. Rodriguez and Adam Kennedy also drove in a pair of runs each. Even Strasburg had an RBI when he hustled down the line to beat out an infield grounder with the bases loaded and one out. But in the end his health was the big story.
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