Stephen Strasburg leaves another start early as concerns grow
It’s no secret that Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg has not looked comfortable over the last month. With each abbreviated outing that goes by, the concern surrounding his health and perhaps even his focus have continued to grow and have left many wondering what it might take to get him on track.
On Friday night in Cincinnati, the concern seemed poised to reach its peak when Strasburg was lifted from his start against the Reds after just 16 pitches. Strasburg had walked Brayan Pena to begin the inning and was then tended to by the Nationals athletic trainer before walking off the mound and heading to Washington’s clubhouse.
The Nationals were mum on Strasburg’s status throughout the game, offering nothing more than standard information. Afterward, however, they did provide an update that was surprisingly encouraging. Strasburg was dealing with neck muscle tightness, which is much better news than soreness or a setback impacting his surgically repaired elbow.
Strasburg also recently experienced tightness in his back.
Prior to the game, general manager Mike Rizzo spoke with glowing optimism about Strasburg’s health in spite of the mounting concern.
“When he is feeling healthy and he says he is healthy, his stuff shows me that he is healthy, [and] he is proven to be one of the top pitchers in the league,” Rizzo said. “I think he hasn’t pitched the way he wants to. We have seen flashes of it, but he hasn’t been consistent enough.”
However, with the good news and optimism comes the reality that Strasburg still hasn’t completed five innings in any of his last five starts. Over that time, he’s allowed 17 earned runs over 16 innings, which once again suggests a lack of comfort on the mound.
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Whether there be some sort of underlying physical issues, mental fatigue or perhaps a combination of both, he’s barely pitching like a major leaguer, let alone a guy Washington had pegged to lead their rotation.
Though unlikely, Washington may be best served to shut Strasburg down for a week or two to allow him to catch his breath and maybe heal up. Even with Doug Fister already on the disabled list, they can withstand the loss with Tanner Roark having proven to be a capable MLB starter. That would leave them mixing and matching perhaps with Taylor Jordan, who allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings of decent relief in Friday’s 5-2 loss.
Hey, if he’s starting he won’t have that problem again.
In all seriousness, the Nationals top priority right now should be getting Strasburg back on track. If it’s not happening on the mound, then they”ll have to start considering other options before this continues on for too long.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
