Baseball Daily Dose: Dose: Strasburg Down For the Count
It happens every year, doesn’t it? No, I’m not talking about Kanye West embarrassing himself at an awards ceremony. I mean Stephen Strasburg landing on the disabled list. Death, taxes and Strasburg getting hurt—that’s about all we’re promised in this world.
For years, we waited for Strasburg to put it all together. And it happened. This was finally the year! 2016. Mark it down. The pride of San Diego (stay classy) looked like a changed man. No innings limit. No injuries. No contract hanging over his head. No distractions. Just pitching.
Strasburg got off to a brilliant 10-0 start, supplementing his record with an equally mesmerizing 2.90 ERA. Sure his record was inflated by the Nationals’ offense (he leads the league in run support), but his strikeout numbers were exquisite (11.42 K/9, his highest since 2010) and opponents were hitting just .220 against him with a pitiful .346 slugging percentage.
Then reality arrived Monday night in Los Angeles. A tweaked back prevented Strasburg from squaring off against Clayton Kershaw but the injury was only considered a minor setback (it didn’t help fantasy owners any that Strasburg was scratched about 15 minutes prior to first pitch). Strasburg was lined up to pitch Sunday against Milwaukee after throwing a light bullpen session on Friday. The plan changed Saturday when Strasburg’s back flared up. A day later, he was placed on the disabled list with what the Nationals are calling a strained upper back.
The roster move was made retroactive to June 16, which means Strasburg could technically come off the disabled list as soon as Friday. Don’t worry, though. That’s not going to happen. The Nationals have to protect their golden goose and the odds of Strasburg recovering in that amount of time were slim to none anyway.
The injury is frustrating on a number of levels. For one, it continues the long-running narrative that Strasburg is fragile and never around when the Nats need him. Durability has never been Strasburg’s strong suit. He’s been sent to the disabled list six times since arriving on the scene in 2010 including two stints last season. On top of that, he’s only reached the 200-inning plateau once in six seasons and probably won’t get there in 2016 either. Strasburg’s latest injury was caused when he dislocated two ribs while lifting weights. The guy just can’t catch a break.
The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Nats. Washington closed out their series with a 3-2 win on Sunday (Tanner Roark started in Strasburg’s place) but that doesn’t mask the seven-game losing streak that came before it. The Nationals have been floundering for a while now—they’ve basically been playing .500 ball since May 1—and have seen their lead in the NL East shrink to three games with the Mets and Marlins both in striking distance. Bryce Harper has cooled off considerably after a hot start (.232 AVG with only six homers since May 1) and even NL batting average leader Daniel Murphy is beginning to fall back to Earth (.241 in June). Jonathan Papelbon was placed on the disabled list (though he should be returning shortly) while Gio Gonzalez has imploded over his last seven starts (0-6, 8.44 ERA). Aside from Murphy and Wilson Ramos, no one on the team is hitting above .260.
The Nationals look good on paper but right now they’re playing like an average ball club. Average won’t cut it in the NL East. New York’s starting rotation is still one of the league’s best and the Marlins have dark horse potential with a strong lineup and one of the game’s elite arms in Jose Fernandez.
The next order of business for Washington will be replacing Strasburg in the starting rotation. A number of names come to mind but the most intriguing possibility has to be right-hander Lucas Giolito. Widely considered the game’s best prospect, the 21-year-old hurler is currently in Double-A Harrisburg, where he has pitched to a 3.17 ERA in 14 outings this season. The former first-round pick has been known to hit 100 mph on the gun and his breaking stuff is just as nasty. He’s going to get called up at some point, but is now the right time? Double-A to the big leagues would be quite a leap.
Another option is Austin Voth, a top prospect who’s been plugging away at Triple-A Syracuse all year. Voth lacks Giolito’s velocity—his fastball clocks in the low 90s—but his numbers are just as strong. His ERA through 14 games sits at a comfortable 2.99 and he also owns the International League’s ninth-lowest WHIP at 1.11. Not to mention that he’s eighth in strikeouts (75) and his groundball rate is off the charts (1.40 G/F).
With Roark’s start pushed up to Sunday, the Nats now have an opening for Tuesday’s game against the Mets. If it’s Voth, he’ll be pitching on five days’ rest. Giolito last pitched Wednesday, so he’d be going on six days rest. If the Nats can’t decide who to call up, they could easily hand the ball to Yusmeiro Petit, a long reliever with 58 starts worth of big league experience. Petit drew a spot start last Monday when Strasburg was a last-minute scratch against the Dodgers.
The Nationals made a huge commitment to Strasburg earlier this year when they inked him to a seven-year, $175 million extension. The deal was surprising because Scott Boras clients usually test the market but given his history of injuries, Strasburg was wise to take the money when he could. Nats GM Mike Rizzo has to be sweating with Strasburg hurt just a month into his new contract.
Strasburg has always meant more to me than most players because I got to see him early in his career when I was an intern with the Syracuse Chiefs. That was the summer I decided to ditch broadcasting and focus on writing (good decision).
Strasburg was quiet back then. He was probably a little annoyed he had to spend a month in frigid Syracuse instead of pitching in the major leagues. Every game he started was a sellout. I’m still not sure how 14,000 people squeezed into 11,000-seat Alliance Bank Stadium his debut. He was a hero in Syracuse and I’m sure Chiefs fans root for him just as hard now as they did back then. It’s unfortunate Strasburg keeps getting hurt, but at least he’ll probably go through Syracuse when he hits the road for a rehab assignment. When that day comes, I don’t think you’ll see many empty seats.
Editor’s Note: Don’t whiff on this special FanDuel offer: win your first contest or get your money back (up to $10) to keep playing. Try FanDuel now.
Quick Hits: Trevor Story took a pitch off his right middle finger Sunday against the Diamondbacks but his X-rays came back negative and it looks like he’s only dealing with a bruise. The Rookie of the Year candidate homered and reached base five times in the victory … Jonathan Papelbon is set to begin a rehab assignment with High-A Potomac on Monday. Papelbon is on the disabled list for the first time in his career with an intercostal strain … Marcell Ozuna got another day off on Sunday. He’s dealing with a sore left wrist … The NL Cy Young race is crowded to say the least but Jose Fernandez has to at least be in the conversation. He registered 13 strikeouts (not a season-high, believe it or not) over seven dominant innings Sunday in a win over the Cubs. The stud right-hander has now won nine of his last 10 decisions … Steven Moya sat out for the second game in a row Sunday against Cleveland. He’s been battling a sore right knee … It’s safe to say Justin Verlander has had better days. The former MVP allowed four home runs in a single inning Sunday against the Indians. Josh Tomlin picked up the win for Cleveland while improving to 9-1 … Jason Kipnis left Saturday’s game with “general soreness” and didn’t appear in Sunday’s series finale against Detroit. It was only his third absence of the season … The Phillies have activated Vincent Velasquez ahead of Monday’s start against the Diamondbacks. He missed a little over two weeks with a strained biceps … The Athletics plan to reopen extension talks with Josh Reddick before the July 31 trade deadline. The contract-year outfielder is expected return from the disabled list Monday against San Francisco after missing a month with a fractured thumb … Yunel Escobar missed his third straight game Sunday against Oakland. Fortunately an MRI on his injured left knee showed only a bruise. He’s day-to-day … Bartolo Colon returned to the mound Sunday just five days after taking a comebacker off his right thumb. He didn’t look any worse for the wear, allowing just six hits and one run over seven solid innings in a loss to Atlanta … The Red Sox have a difficult decision coming up. Ryan Hanigan (neck) is close to returning from the disabled list and when he does, the Red Sox will be forced to part with one of their three catchers. With Sandy Leon out of minor league options and hitting .480 through his first 10 games, Christian Vasquez could be the odd man out … Juan Lagares has resumed baseball activities at the team’s spring training complex in Port St. Lucie. Lagares was placed on the disabled list earlier this month with a sprained left thumb … Trevor Plouffe returned to the Twins’ lineup Sunday after sitting out a couple games with a mild groin strain. He went 1-for-4 with a solo home run off Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi … Pirates right-hander Chad Kuhl won his major league debut Sunday against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers. How many guys get to say that?
