Stephen Strasburg shut-down was a watershed event for Washington Nationals in 2012-MLB Update
As the year comes to an end, fans of the Washington Nationals can do well by recalling important events that happened during 2012.
Among the most significant ones was the shutting down of Stephen Strasburg.
Following the exclusion of Strasburg from the rotation, pace with which the Nationals were winning matches changed dramatically.
They started losing games as opposed to continue looking like being invincible.
The likes of the Atlanta Braves, which were previously being defeated by the Nationals, began putting up strong resistance.
According to a number of experts, the day when the Nationals restricted Strasburg was the moment their chances to achieve something substantial down the line had eliminated.
It was almost sure then that they will struggle to get going during the playoffs.
Unsurprisingly, the Nationals floundered against the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series.
Their starting pitchers could not absorb pressure of the high profile matches.
Gio Gonzalez leaked runs and allowed walks, despite the fact he was extremely impressive during the regular season.
Another reason why he failed was because he was asked to throw twice in the series. If Strasburg was present in the rotation, Gonzalez may have been given some rest instead of being burdened unduly.
When Strasburg was shut-down, he was disappointed. Though he did not express it, it was apparent from his words.
"I don't know if I'm ever going to accept it, to be honest with you," Strasburg said. "It's something that I'm not happy about at all. That's not why I play the game. I play the game to obviously be a good teammate and to win. You don't grow up dreaming
of playing in the big leagues to get shut down when the games start to matter."
Strasburg knew that he was about to do something spectacular before his expedition was restricted.
At the moment, he will be looking to put aside everything and focus on the upcoming season.
By achieving all those that he could not during the last season owing to being shut-down, he can go a long way in helping the Nationals.
It will be interesting to see how he keeps his form intact in 2013 and continues throwing quality innings.
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