Strasburg (10-0 2.90 ERA), on the DL retroactive to June 16 with an upper back strain, started Sunday’s series finale against the Cincinnati Reds.
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“I felt pretty good”, said Strasburg, who improved to 11-0 with a 2.71 earned-run average this season.
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) is pulled from a bseball game during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, July 3, 2016, in Washington. John Lamb has pitched better of late, but nonetheless he is a bad starter overall in his career and he’s 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA on the road this year. Home run No. 13 for the Nationals’ All-Star nod-worthy backstop. Espinosa homered after Lamb walked three straight in the fourth, giving Washington a 5-0 lead. Solo shot. HR No.17 for Harper.
He settled in after that and retired the Reds in order in four of the next five innings. The rookie allowed seven runs in four innings in a 9-2 loss to the Cubs last Thursday.
It was Strasburg’s first start since June 15, but he showed no rust he threw almost seven hitless innings Sunday.
The story should have been about the return of Stephen Strasburg from the DL.
Many believed Danny Espinosa wouldn’t even be a starter this year for the Nationals. Espinosa’s 15th RBI (I know, RBIs, whatever) of the series against the Reds, who, as Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell noted on Twitter, had scored 15 runs total in the four-game set.
The Nationals’ no-hit bid ended in the eighth inning, when reliever Matt Belisle gave up a single to Ramon Cabrera. 12-1 final. Ballgame. The team announced the move last night.
The Diamondbacks ace left Tuesday night’s game against Philadelphia after two innings.
The Nationals’ nine-game extra inning win streak in D.C. was, according to Elias Sports Bureau, the longest home winning streak in extra innings since the Arizona Diamondback won nine in a row in Chase Field from 2013-2014.
Reds: 1B Joey Votto returned to the lineup after he was scratched Saturday with a sore right shoulder. He put up a.319/.466/.549) line in the month of June.
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Well, at least the Cincinnati Reds did not get no hit by Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals bullpen.
