Home team falls, 2-1, in 11; rookie sets MLB record
Mark down one more epic performance by Nationals rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg.
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In front of another sellout crowd at Nationals Park, this one including President Barack Obama and his family, the 21-year-old pitched seven innings with just one run allowed on four hits. He struck out 10 more batters while walking none.
But this time, at least, it wasn’t enough to earn the win – for himself or his team. When Strasburg left the game after throwing 85 pitches Washington was still down by a run to the Chicago White Sox. And while Adam Dunn’s RBI double in the seventh tied the game, a throwing error by Ryan Zimmerman in the 11th allowed the eventual game-winning run to score in a 2-1 loss.
Strasburg (2-0, 1.86 ERA) has now pitched 19 1/3 innings in three major-league starts. He has given up just 10 hits and walked only five batters with 32 strikeouts. That sets a big-league record for most strikeouts for a rookie in his first three starts – surpassing J.R. Richard, who had 29 in his first three games in 1971.
“That wasn’t a goal of mine. That’s never going to be a goal of mine,” Strasburg said about that strikeout record. “My goal is to go out there and help the team win. It’s all about wins and losses at this level. You can go out there and strike everybody out. But at the end of the day if you don’t keep your team within striking distance, then what does that all matter?”
Gavin Floyd pitched eight strong innings for Chicago, allowing just one run on four hits and a walk as he matched Strasburg pitch-for-pitch. The Baltimore native tossed a beautiful game in front of friends and family, using his slider early and his curveball late with a nasty sinker mixed in for good measure. Over his last three starts – 22 innings pitched total — Floyd has a 1.23 ERA with 22 strikeouts.
“We had a couple of opportunities to cash in and we didn’t come through,” said Dunn, who struck out swinging with two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth. “Stephen gave us a chance like he’s probably going to do every single time from here on out. The offense just stunk it up.”
Alex Rios drove home the White Sox lone run against the rookie with an infield ground out in the first inning to score Juan Pierre. Strasburg said later he was mad at himself for getting to first base an instant too late and allowed Pierre to leadoff the game with an infield hit. Pierre advanced to third on a bloop double by Omar Vizquel.
Strasburg had a chance to help his own cause later, but bunted into a double play with one out in the sixth inning and Ian Desmond at first base.
“It’s a different game out there with the adrenaline and everything,” Strasburg said. “It comes with experience. Looking back on it I learned a lot from that and I’m going to try to go out there and not make the same mistake.”
Meanwhile, Tyler Clippard, Matt Capps and Drew Storen pitched three innings of scoreless relief after Dunn’s double drove in Zimmerman with the tying run in the seventh. The dagger came in the 11th, though. Mark Kotsay led off with a pinch-hit single against Storen, who was entering his second inning of work. A sacrifice bunt and a ground ball later Kotsay was at third with two out. Rios then ripped a ball down the line at third – “I’m going, ‘Alright, that’s by him,’” Storen said – but Zimmerman made an incredible diving stab of the ball. He rolled over and gunned a throw to first. But it was too high for Dunn, who had the ball tick off his glove and bounce away as Kotsay scored the go-ahead run.
“That’s a do-or-die play,” Dunn said. “If I come off the bag he’s safe and the run scores anyway. So [Zimmerman] made a great play and I tried to stay on the bag as long as possible.”
