Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg got touched up for seven runs on eight hits in four and two-thirds innings in his first MLB start of 2022 Thursday night, a 7-4 loss at Miami.
But, hey, he was out there, which is a step in the right direction.
Strasburg threw 83 pitches, 53 for strikes. His fastball topped out at 92 mph, and averaged 90.2 mph, according to FanGraphs.
He had been regularly in the 92-94 mph range in his second rehab start in Fredericksburg back on May 22, so what we saw last night was a step back in that sense.
“It’s good to just go out there and compete and go as long as you can and as hard as you can,” Strasburg said, according to reporting by the Washington Post. “Today wasn’t very long, but you got to start somewhere, so, try and be more efficient next time.”
The Marlins got to him early, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first, and then, after Strasburg had settled down, striking out the side in the second, and pitching around a hit batter in the third and a walk in the fourth, got to him again in the fifth.
A one-out Jazz Chisholm bunt single, his second of the game, ignited a four-run rally that concluded with a two-run Jesús Sánchez homer.
This year is a wash anyway, with the Nats in full rebuild mode with the goal of getting back in contention in time to lure superstar Juan Soto, who is under team control through 2024, to commit to a long-term deal.
The goal is to get Strasburg around 20 starts this season, so that he can be ready to go full tilt next season.
“I really believe that having him on the mound was good for the Washington Nationals, good for the fans,” manager Dave Martinez said. “The results will be there.”
Story by Chris Graham
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