Washington Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg is back on the DL for the second time in 2015, which you would have thought before the season would have been devastating news.
Except that Strasburg hasn’t been the starter that you would have thought he was going to be before the season, or anything close to what you would have thought.
And the guys who have been tasked with eating up his innings have been a lot better than Strasburg, a former #1 overall pick and staff ace.
Odd as may sound to say this out loud, the Nats are at least just fine without Strasburg, and in fact may be better off.
Strasburg (5-5, 5.16 ERA, 63K/18BB, .289 opponent batting average, 1.49 WHIP in 13 starts, 61 IP) has been barely serviceable as a starter in 2015. His 5.16 ERA and 1.49 ranks in the bottom 10 percent of all MLB starting pitchers, and the .289 opponent batting average is in the bottom 20 percent.
He was pitching much better since his return from his first stint on the DL, with a 2-0 record and 1.15 ERA in three starts, giving up two runs on nine hits in 15.2 innings, striking out 18 and walking four.
But now having been sidelined with a strained oblique, and with manager Matt Williams not expecting him to be back anytime soon, it is worth it to examine what happens if Strasburg isn’t available for the pennant race and the 2015 playoffs.
The Nats have Max Scherzer (9-7, 2.12 ERA), Jordan Zimmerman (7-5, 3.04 ERA) and Gio Gonzalez (6-4, 4.16 ERA) as valuable front-line starters, with Doug Fister (3-4, 4.08 ERA) and Tanner Roark (4-3, 4.33 ERA) more than able as four and five guys. And Joe Ross (2-1, 2.66 ERA in three starts) is a nice insurance policy.
Are the Nationals better with a healthy, productive Strasburg? No question. But they don’t need him to be an ace. And if he’s not available, life will go on just fine.
– Column by Chris Graham
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