Command still off a bit in his third rehab start HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The comeback is still a work-in-progress for Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg. During one rehabilitation start his fastball command might be iffy, and in the next his curveball has a mind of its own.
Strasburg has said repeatedly he will have to fight through those issues as he enters the final stages of recovery from Tommy John surgery last Sept. 3. On Monday night, Strasburg made his fourth rehab start — his third at low-A Hagers?town — and pitched three innings with one earned run on two hits with a walk and six strikeouts.
Again, Strasburg’s command of the breaking ball was off and on. A few times he felt the home plate umpire missed an obvious strike. And his defense didn’t help much, either. Strasburg gave up an unearned run in the third inning against the visiting Hickory Crawdads, who beat the Suns 3-1.
“It’s not so much anxiety. I’m amped up for every game I pitch,” Strasburg said. “Right now just not having as many reps as I’ve had in the past, having such a long layoff I just go out there and try and force things a little too much. Slowly starting to realize that.”
Strasburg had issues with runners on base, too. Hickory stole four bases — though one of those came on a pitchout to catcher David Freitas. In all, Strasburg threw 60 pitches, 40 of them for strikes, and his fastball consistently sat at 96 and 97 mph, topping out at 98. Those 60 pitches were the most in four rehab starts so far.
Strasburg needed 27 pitches to get through the first inning. He hit the leadoff batter, Texas Rangers top prospect Jurickson Profar, with an errant breaking ball despite being up 0-2 in the count. A quick stolen base and a hard grounder up the middle by Tomas Telis drove home the first run.
Strasburg retired the side in order in the second with a pair of strikeouts, needing just 11 pitches. In the third an infield hit and a stolen base put Odubel Herrera at second base with one out. But one batter later a grounder to shortstop Jason Martinson was thrown over the head of first baseman Mills Rogers. That was the unearned run.
Strasburg likely will pitch next at either Triple-A Syracuse on Aug. 27 or — if the Nats are comfortable with the idea — he can stay in the area that day when the high-A Potomac Nationals play at the nearby Frederick Keys. After that it won’t be long until he can help the big league Nationals, who pulled within two games of .500 on Monday, make a run at their first winning season since moving to the District in 2005.
“It’d be awesome. But that’s not going to change whether we were competing to go to the playoffs or in the situation that we’re in now,” Strasburg said. “It’s not going to change what I want to do out there. I want to go out there and win.”
