Post by jcljorgenson on Jun 28, 2010 19:55:32 GMT -8
Nationals give Stephen Strasburg no help, again, in 5-0 loss to Braves
In his fifth major league start, Washington's Stephen Strasburg allows three earned runs on six hits with two walks while striking out seven in 61/3 innings.
By Adam Kilgore
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
ATLANTA -- Stephen Strasburg's dominance gives losing a degree of difficulty, but his Washington Nationals teammates have sunk to the challenge. In five starts, Strasburg has strung together perhaps the finest beginning ever to a starting pitcher's career. The Nationals, during a descent into the wretched baseball that defined them for two years, have won two of those games.
The Nationals offered Strasburg no offensive support Monday night in a 5-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves, but they had done that before. This time, they could not even get out of his way. Shortstop Ian Desmond botched a routine double-play groundball in the seventh, which led directly to the game's only five runs, their fifth straight defeat and Strasburg's tragicomic demise. The 42,889 at Turner Field -- 21,608 of which bought tickets in the previous five days -- actually chanted "Over-rated!"
"Not good enough to win the game," Strasburg said. "Period."
Strasburg allowed three (technically) earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven in 6 1/3 innings. His ERA rose to 2.27 and his strikeout total for the year shot to 48, third most all-time among a pitcher's first five starts. During one stretch, Strasburg struck out a batter, induced a double play, and then struck out five straight Braves. Before the game, Braves Manager Bobby Cox called him "a Hall of Famer in the making."
His brilliance stood in stark contrast to his teammates. For the second straight start, the Nationals scored zero runs in support of Strasburg. Braves starter Tim Hudson shut them out for seven innings, and only Roger Bernadina, who did it twice, made it past first base. Strasburg has only allowed five earned runs in his last three starts, but the Nationals have scored only one run in those games and lost all three.
"The biggest challenge for me is, I just got to remind myself what the goal is and what the team needs me to do," Strasburg said. "The team needs me to go out there and keep the team within striking distance. There's going to be games when we end up not scoring those runs. We're trying to get back together as a team collectively."
Strasburg has proved his mental strength in handling unprecedented hype placed on him. Losing despite strong performances is unlikely to shake him.
"I don't think he gauges his success on his win-loss record," General Manager Mike Rizzo said. "I don't, either. I think when he pitches well in the future, we're going to win those games. He's everything I dreamed of."
Before the game, following a ghastly three-game sweep in Baltimore, Manager Jim Riggleman called a team meeting. He affirmed comments Rizzo made Sunday afternoon when he vowed the team would not tolerate more substandard defense.
In the seventh, their defense unraveled again. Strasburg walked Chipper Jones on four pitches and allowed Brian McCann a smash up the middle for a single, putting two on with no outs. Strasburg, though, had escaped jams before without any margin for error, twice ending innings with a double play.
Strasburg fired Troy Glaus a 2-2, 98-mph sinking fastball. At shortstop, Desmond readied. He wanted Glaus to hit him the ball. "I knew if he threw a [sinker] to Glaus, the groundball was coming to me," Desmond said.
Glaus indeed grounded to Desmond -- Strasburg had dialed up another game-saving pitch. Desmond would flip to Alberto González, who relay the ball to first, and then Strasburg could simply get the third out and move the eighth inning.
Only the ball took a tricky before it reached Desmond, and it bounced off Desmond's glove and shoulder, and he could not recover as the ball trickled away. It was a recurring scene -- Desmond has committed 19 errors, most in the majors.
"Strasburg executed the pitch and got the groundball," Desmond said. "It just kind of kicked up on me. I wasn't able to get enough body or glove on me to keep in front of me to get the out."
Desmond remained resolute after, saying he wanted the same chance at the same tomorrow. His bosses supported him, too.
"I'd take nine of him," Riggleman said.
"He's going to be better," Rizzo said.
With the bases loaded, Eric Hinske lofted a 3-1 fastball to center field to score the only run the Braves needed. For good measure, Nyjer Morgan threw the ball to the wrong base and allowed Glaus to sneak into scoring position. Yunel Escobar followed with an RBI single to center, which ended Strasburg's night.
In the seventh, the Nationals their best scoring chance against Hudson. Bernadina lined a double to left field to lead off and moved to third on Desmond's sacrifice bunt. But González struck out, bringing up Strasburg. Riggleman had placed Adam Kennedy on deck, but he pulled him back and let Strasburg hit. He grounded out.
On the mound, he was as good as ever. He didn't allowed the Braves, his toughest lineup yet, any runs in the first six innings. He hit 100 miles per hour once, on a ball to Martin Prado, and used far more changeups than curveball to keep the Braves off balance.
"He can only get worse," said Cox, the longest-tenured manager in baseball, before the game. "It's amazing. Unhittable. He's got nowhere to go. He's already at utopia. It's not supposed to work that way in this game. In his case, it has."
Strasburg reward so far has been praise he does not seem to care for and the sting of losing his teammates know far too well.
"Stats don't matter," Strasburg said. "At the end of the day, if you win or lose, that's what matters. Unfortunately, we didn't get the job done."
In his fifth major league start, Washington's Stephen Strasburg allows three earned runs on six hits with two walks while striking out seven in 61/3 innings.
By Adam Kilgore
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
ATLANTA -- Stephen Strasburg's dominance gives losing a degree of difficulty, but his Washington Nationals teammates have sunk to the challenge. In five starts, Strasburg has strung together perhaps the finest beginning ever to a starting pitcher's career. The Nationals, during a descent into the wretched baseball that defined them for two years, have won two of those games.
The Nationals offered Strasburg no offensive support Monday night in a 5-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves, but they had done that before. This time, they could not even get out of his way. Shortstop Ian Desmond botched a routine double-play groundball in the seventh, which led directly to the game's only five runs, their fifth straight defeat and Strasburg's tragicomic demise. The 42,889 at Turner Field -- 21,608 of which bought tickets in the previous five days -- actually chanted "Over-rated!"
"Not good enough to win the game," Strasburg said. "Period."
Strasburg allowed three (technically) earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven in 6 1/3 innings. His ERA rose to 2.27 and his strikeout total for the year shot to 48, third most all-time among a pitcher's first five starts. During one stretch, Strasburg struck out a batter, induced a double play, and then struck out five straight Braves. Before the game, Braves Manager Bobby Cox called him "a Hall of Famer in the making."
His brilliance stood in stark contrast to his teammates. For the second straight start, the Nationals scored zero runs in support of Strasburg. Braves starter Tim Hudson shut them out for seven innings, and only Roger Bernadina, who did it twice, made it past first base. Strasburg has only allowed five earned runs in his last three starts, but the Nationals have scored only one run in those games and lost all three.
"The biggest challenge for me is, I just got to remind myself what the goal is and what the team needs me to do," Strasburg said. "The team needs me to go out there and keep the team within striking distance. There's going to be games when we end up not scoring those runs. We're trying to get back together as a team collectively."
Strasburg has proved his mental strength in handling unprecedented hype placed on him. Losing despite strong performances is unlikely to shake him.
"I don't think he gauges his success on his win-loss record," General Manager Mike Rizzo said. "I don't, either. I think when he pitches well in the future, we're going to win those games. He's everything I dreamed of."
Before the game, following a ghastly three-game sweep in Baltimore, Manager Jim Riggleman called a team meeting. He affirmed comments Rizzo made Sunday afternoon when he vowed the team would not tolerate more substandard defense.
In the seventh, their defense unraveled again. Strasburg walked Chipper Jones on four pitches and allowed Brian McCann a smash up the middle for a single, putting two on with no outs. Strasburg, though, had escaped jams before without any margin for error, twice ending innings with a double play.
Strasburg fired Troy Glaus a 2-2, 98-mph sinking fastball. At shortstop, Desmond readied. He wanted Glaus to hit him the ball. "I knew if he threw a [sinker] to Glaus, the groundball was coming to me," Desmond said.
Glaus indeed grounded to Desmond -- Strasburg had dialed up another game-saving pitch. Desmond would flip to Alberto González, who relay the ball to first, and then Strasburg could simply get the third out and move the eighth inning.
Only the ball took a tricky before it reached Desmond, and it bounced off Desmond's glove and shoulder, and he could not recover as the ball trickled away. It was a recurring scene -- Desmond has committed 19 errors, most in the majors.
"Strasburg executed the pitch and got the groundball," Desmond said. "It just kind of kicked up on me. I wasn't able to get enough body or glove on me to keep in front of me to get the out."
Desmond remained resolute after, saying he wanted the same chance at the same tomorrow. His bosses supported him, too.
"I'd take nine of him," Riggleman said.
"He's going to be better," Rizzo said.
With the bases loaded, Eric Hinske lofted a 3-1 fastball to center field to score the only run the Braves needed. For good measure, Nyjer Morgan threw the ball to the wrong base and allowed Glaus to sneak into scoring position. Yunel Escobar followed with an RBI single to center, which ended Strasburg's night.
In the seventh, the Nationals their best scoring chance against Hudson. Bernadina lined a double to left field to lead off and moved to third on Desmond's sacrifice bunt. But González struck out, bringing up Strasburg. Riggleman had placed Adam Kennedy on deck, but he pulled him back and let Strasburg hit. He grounded out.
On the mound, he was as good as ever. He didn't allowed the Braves, his toughest lineup yet, any runs in the first six innings. He hit 100 miles per hour once, on a ball to Martin Prado, and used far more changeups than curveball to keep the Braves off balance.
"He can only get worse," said Cox, the longest-tenured manager in baseball, before the game. "It's amazing. Unhittable. He's got nowhere to go. He's already at utopia. It's not supposed to work that way in this game. In his case, it has."
Strasburg reward so far has been praise he does not seem to care for and the sting of losing his teammates know far too well.
"Stats don't matter," Strasburg said. "At the end of the day, if you win or lose, that's what matters. Unfortunately, we didn't get the job done."
