Washington Nationals beat Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 as Stephen Strasburg strikes-out ten - MLB Update
Starter Stephen Strasburg and relief pitcher Tyler Clippard lead the Washington Nationals to 3-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays at Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. on June 20, 2012 in second game of the three match series.
A rising losing streak was becoming a grave concern for the Nationals’ manager Davey Johnson.
After losing the first game of the series, out of the blue kind of stunner was required. A player who can put up game-stealing show was needed by the club.
Strasburg obliged. Managing to protect three-run lead, he finished seven innings and struck-out 10.
More important was the fact that Strasburg, knowing that offence was not scoring from other end, restricted batters.
He never allowed the Rays to capitalise on the silence which the Nationals’ offence observed, from the second until the ninth. He ended up becoming a winner.
From the day one, Strasburg is being used sparingly. He hardly lasts more than five innings. Therefore, the Rays were waiting to see him off the mound and entertaining the idea of drawing victory from the relievers.
However, no freebies were available as both Sean Burnett and the closer Tyler Clippard ended up throwing scoreless innings.
Victory has repelled the chances of decline from top position that Washington maintain on National League East Division Table, at least for the moment.
At the back of the dominance they have shown in the season, the lift gained from the win will be enough to put them on course for upcoming games.
Game however did not hide loopholes prevalent in the Nationals’ offence. Striking just three hits reflect the struggle batters faced on the plate.
However, Johnson was happy that they posted lead right in the first.
''I'm glad we did it in the first,'' Johnson said. ''You have to tip your hat to that kid Archer. It looked like he was awful nervous that first inning. We had him on the ropes. He settled down and pitched a heck of a ball game.''
Nationals' rookie right-fielder, Bryce Harper, is one of the few hitters who have shown consistency. Connecting one hit in two at-bats, he takes his batting average to .291.
The Nationals will be looking to see a better performance from their offence in upcoming games.
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