Stephen Strasburg faces criticism after loss to Atlanta Braves – MLB News
Stephen Strasburg leaked three runs in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves but then found his rhythm to toss three scoreless innings for the Washington Nationals on Friday, September 23 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., but failed to prevent
his first loss of the season.
In the end, the Nationals lost 4-7 and citing these three-runs as the difference would not be inconsiderate. A loss at this stage would have hampered Atlanta’s post-season progress but a ‘hyper’ performance by Strasburg enabled the Braves to cement their
lead in the Wild Card standings.
The overall Number one pick of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, Strasburg had allowed only two runs in his three starts prior to this game and had an ERA of just 1.29. Here, however, he hurled four innings to be charged for three runs amid five hits
to see his earned-run average surge to 2.00 and bring his career win-loss record to 5-4.
Nationals’ manager Davey Johnson said, “He got a little excited and started to overthrow. He was just throwing the ball, not pitching.”
Strasburg added that he had full energy for the game but at times it is a bit harder to get into rhythm. The starter ruled out the possibility of his recovery from Tommy John surgery being a hindrance in his pitching.
Coming into the series, the Nationals were on a five-game winning streak and had termed this as a World Series, but the Braves proved to be strong for the home side, scrapping their streak and taking a 1-0 lead in the three-game series.
Trying hard to make his mark on the circuit, Strasburg tried pitching above the 95 mph barrier, touching 98 mph with his fastball. However, this significantly affected his accuracy early on, giving the advantage to the visiting team.
Strasburg’s misery can be gauged from the fact that it took him 38 pitches to get through the first inning, supposedly because of an adjustment to a new style of pitching. Pitching Coach Steve McCatty explained that the new style focuses on more precision
and less power.
Nonetheless, the best is yet to come from Strasburg and next season surely belongs to the rising star.
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