I’ve been watching Stephen Strasburg with somewhat bated breath this season, hoping that at some point I would have the opportunity to write an article like this. If there was ever a time to do it, 10-0 seems like that time.
It’s gotten to the point in the season now where I feel like every Strasburg start is all but a guaranteed win. Which is all the better because of how my faith in Gio Gonzalez starts has diminished. Any baseball season brings with it plenty of turbulence — there are injuries, illnesses, undisclosed issues and just your general slumping. In those instances it never hurts to have a solid rock to build your team around, and this year Stras has proven to be just that for the Nats.
At the beginning of the season I predicted that Max Scherzer would walk away with the NL Cy Young. Due to his somewhat prolific home run problem, that seems unlikely at this point. But Strasburg is quietly building himself a resume that could land him in just that conversation come October.
Strasburg pitched another gem on Friday night against the Phillies, allowing 4 runs over 7 innings and striking out 10 as the Nats won 9-6. More importantly he earned the win for his club (have you seen this offense lately?) making it his 10th win of the season and maintaining a nice goose egg in the loss column.
Strasburg’s ERA for the year is now a solid 3.03, and while that wouldn’t allow him to crack the rotation to be a starter for the Chicago Cubs, it’s not too shabby. More importantly he finds a way to win his games while averaging under 6 2/3 innings per game. He is fully capable of carrying the team through 7 innings and keeping things close.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Max Scherzer. Mad Max can give you an unbelievable start any time he takes the mound. I’m always glued to my television wondering if I’m going to see a perfect game or watch him eclipse the strikeout record whenever I watch him pitch. But he also has a propensity for giving up the long ball and it costs him games. The entertainment value is there, the reliability not always.
That’s what makes Strasburg so invaluable to this club. With Stephen on the mound you know what you’re going to get: one of the nastiest pitchers in the game with a taste for W’s.
As I am a glutton for punishment I am going to make yet another prediction concerning the 2016 season: Stephen Strasburg will be this team’s rock down the stretch. As misfortunes arise and the Nationals have to weather the everyday storms of a 162 game regular season, every 5th start will be a beacon of hope. I don’t think the Nats will fall apart by any means, but in order to succeed you need to lean on Mr. Consistency, and Strasburg is it.
Tags: Nationals, Nats, Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
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