By looking at Friday’s 8-1 win over the Giants, it would appear that the Nationals finally gave Stephen Strasburg some runs to work with. That wasn’t really the case.
Strasburg gave up a leadoff home run to Andres Torres to begin the game, putting himself in an early hole. The Nats answered with runs in the first and fourth innings to jump out to a 2-1 lead, but that’s the biggest lead Strasburg would have all night. Working with a razor thin margin of error yet again, the young phenom completely shut the Giants down after the first inning.
All told, Strasburg gave up just three hits and one walk while striking out eight. He threw 61 out of 95 pitches for strikes before exiting after six innings. The Nationals offense did their part after he left the game, scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth and four in the seventh to preserve the victory. Strasburg moved to 3-2 on the year, earning his first win since June 13.
Through his first seven starts in the big leagues, Strasburg has a 2.45 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, posting a 53/10 K/BB ratio over 36 2/3 innings. He’s slated to start the first game after the All-Star break against the Marlins next Friday, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
There was some thought that the Nationals would delay Strasburg’s first start after the break and provide him with some extra rest during the second half in order to have him available in September, but he is now expected to pitch every fifth day until he reaches the 160-inning plateau.