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D’backs rock Strasburg, Nats in 18-7 romp

Chris Graham

washington nationalsStephen Strasburg might want to call in sick next time he’s scheduled to start against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Strasburg, who had won his previous seven starts, was rocked for nine runs in four and two-thirds innings in what turned into an 18-7 Nats loss Saturday night.

Strasburg (14-5, 3.72 ERA) had last lost on June 15, to, you guessed it, the Diamondbacks, that afternoon giving up six runs on nine hits, four of them homers, in five innings of work.

Arizona went deep three times off Strasburg Saturday night.

Strasburg has an 0-2 record and 13.97 ERA in his two starts in 2019 against the D’backs. Against the rest of MLB, he is 14-3 with a 2.99 ERA.

It got so bad that the Nats used infielders Brian Dozier and Gerardo Parra to close things out in the eighth inning, which didn’t go well. Arizona scored seven runs in the inning, on three hits and four walks.

The loss dropped Washington into a second-place tie with Philadelphia, and the Nats also lost a game in the NL East standings to first-place Atlanta, which is now seven games ahead of the pack.

Story by Chris Graham

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].