Stephen Strasburg struck out eight in seven innings and the Washington Nationals won a game he started for the first time since Opening Day by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 Saturday.
The last pitch Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg threw in Atlanta on Monday night touched 98 miles per hour. But that wasn't enough -- oh, not even close -- to quell the wave of near-panic over his pitching arm's health.
Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg may have irritated a nerve in his right arm using an electrical stimulation machine.
Strasburg played catch Tuesday and went through his usual routine on the day after he pitches, a welcome sight after manager Davey Johnson said Monday night that the right-hander was dealing with forearm tightness.
"We pitch, we don't hit; we hit, we don't pitch," said right fielder Jayson Werth. "They always say you're better lucky than good and we're neither right now."
If the season ended Thursday, the Nationals even with all their "problems" would qualify for the playoffs. Which sounds just as stupid to say now as it does to say the season is already off the rails.
New York Mets ace Matt Harvey will take the mound in one half-inning Friday night at Citi Field, and Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg will take it in another. It's as marquee a matchup of young power arms as there has been thus far this April.
Since the Nationals moved Detwiler back into the starting rotation for good last June, and including the playoffs, he has posted a 2.97 ERA in 121 1/3 innings of work.
At least Washington came out of Friday's disappointment in good physical health. Not so Saturday, as catcher Wilson Ramos injured his left hamstring trying to beat out a ground ball in the eighth.
