It wasn’t an unexpected bump for Stephen Strasburg. No rehab from Tommy John surgery will go perfectly smooth and Wednesday’s game against Lexington figured to happen at some point. Strasburg gave up five earned runs on four hits with two walks and a wild pitch. There were a handful of fastballs ripped into the gaps for extra bases. Strasburg admitted he didn’t feel great while warming up in the bullpen. But he wasn’t exactly using that as an excuse, either. Just one of those days for a 23-year-old who didn’t pitch in a meaningful game for 11 months. Check out the major details in our print edition story.
“The good pitchers can overcome that. In the past there’s been games where I’ve felt even worse in the bullpen,” Strasburg said. “Then I’ve just gone out there and it just clicked. Didn’t happen tonight. But a lot of it has to do with just knowing how I need to pitch up in the big leagues and staying with that. Unfortunately, it’s not necessarily going to work at this level because guys’ approaches are so much different than guys that you face in the big leagues. But the bottom line is that if I throw fastballs that are just a hair up like they were today they’re going to get hit a country miler anywhere.”
The breaking ball and change-up were lights out last Friday in a start at Potomac. They disappeared on Strasburg on Wednesday for the Suns. That’s to be expected. It’s unlikely he’ll find any kind of consistency before the season ends. That was the case for teammate Jordan Zimmermann last summer. The key is to work out those kinks now – in the minors and, more than likely, with the Nats in September when they’re already out of contention and can absorb a rough night or two.
“All I know is that I’ve got another outing. Rehab assignment is 30 days. It’s going to be close,” Strasburg said. “End of the minor-league season is coming up pretty fast. Just trying to get healthy. Unfortunately, I got hurt so late last year that I really can’t do much this year. It’s not like I’m going to win a Cy Young in two weeks pitching in the big leagues. Just trying to get better, trying to get stronger. Just trying to get back the feeling that I had before and take that into the offseason.”
A benefit from Wednesday’s game – well, a small consolation anyway – is Strasburg got a chance to pitch under duress. With the Lexington batters jumping on his fastball, Strasburg needed 33 pitches to get through the first inning. It took 25 pitches to even record an out.
“That’s definitely a positive. I was kind of thinking about that when I came in,” Strasburg said. “I was like ‘That’s good’ because everything was so regulated before then. Down in Florida [there were] 15 pitches an inning, however many outs. They even stop in between an at-bat. So it’s good to go out there and struggle because there’s going to be some tough innings down the road. Not every outing is going to be a piece of cake.”
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