Marlins 8, Nats 2
No real reason to focus on anything from this game other than Stephen Strasburg’s performance. The Nats have lost three in a row now and – even while playing better baseball the last two weeks – are a season-worst 15 games below .500 at 49-64.
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No, Tuesday’s game against Florida was about Strasburg and his recovery from a sore right shoulder and a stint on the disabled list. That’s not something the team wanted to deal with in his rookie season. In fact, a ton of energy had gone into keeping the 22-year-old healthy as he adjusts to the rigors of pro ball for the first time. So in that respect this game provided some good news. Strasburg reported no unusual pain in his right shoulder, which became inflamed late last month and forced him to be scratched from a July 27 game against the Braves just moments before first pitch. He even claimed that by the fifth inning tonight his arm felt as fresh as it did in the first inning and credited a new between starts program developed with Nats trainer Lee Kuntz. No physical problems in simulated games or bullpen sessions last week. No issues after the Marlins battered Strasburg for six runs on six hits – five of those doubles and one a Dan Uggla homer.
Speaking with reporters afterwards, a relaxed Strasburg talked about his night – about how he focused too much on mechanics at times as he tried to shake the rust from 20 days between starts. His tone changed but once – when a reporter used the term “rattled” when asking about the outing before attempting to take it back. Too late. It was clearly Strasburg’s worst game of the 10 he’s pitched in the big leagues. But this isn’t a kid who will let one bad night fester.
“No, that’s not the word,” Strasburg said. “It doesn’t rattle me at all.”
Then he softened: “Everybody’s human. They’re all going to have these days sooner or later. I’m a little disappointed in myself because I really went out there not focusing on the one thing that you really have to focus on every start – just going out there competing and going with what you have. I spent too much time worrying about trying to fix what was going wrong instead of just letting it go and throwing the ball.”
Nats pitching coach Steve McCatty was also philosophical about Strasburg’s struggles. It was the first time the rookie failed to finish the fifth inning and the first time he allowed more than three earned runs in one game. He had a hard time controlling any of his pitches and abandoned the change-up for long stretches early.
“It’s part of a young pitcher – not necessarily him, but a lot of guys – you get caught up in the mechanical issue instead of just competing,” McCatty said. “And you start thinking, ‘Well, gee I missed there…’ You start worrying about the mechanics and the next thing you know you’re behind in the count and a couple runs have scored.”
McCatty noted that neither pitch Uggla hit hard – the homer and the two-run double – was particularly bad. Uggla is a fine hitter and did what he could with both, his home run just nestling into the first row in left field. Strasburg himself said that his arm provided all the power on that one. But both pitches ran back over the plate and were up in the zone. Put those in just a little better spot and Uggla has a less harmful single. Maybe then Strasburg’s night turns out differently.
“Tonight was one he really struggled on. For the most part I think he’s been outstanding,” McCatty said. “In nine of the 10 starts he’s had I think he’s been pretty good. We just tend to start expecting a lot from a kid that’s 22 years old and has a tremendous amount of talent. But we’ve still got to understand – he’s young and he’s learning. He’s learning at the big-league level and every mistake that you make up here tends to show up on the scoreboard.”
So for the first time Strasburg must react to adversity as a professional. How does his arm feel in the days after this start and how does he rebound from his first real beating? Were his mechanics really that off after the long rest? Was his pitch selection good enough? McCatty gives his pitchers 24 hours to stew over this kind of effort. When Strasburg comes back to the ballpark on Wednesday he’ll begin the process of figuring out exactly what went wrong and then gets the chance to fix it against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. That’s the life of a pro. That’s Strasburg’s life from now on as he tries to harness his immense talent.
Follow me on Twitter @bmcnally14
