Not a performance to remember for Strasburg
Stephen Strasburg wanted to be able to pitch more this year, go deeper in games and not be limited by
innings.
On Opening Day, he was able to show how efficient he could be, tossing 80 pitches over seven innings in
a 2-0 win over the Marlins.
Sunday, it was a different story.
Strasburg was only able to last 5 1/3 innings, allowing nine hits, six earned runs with five strikeouts
and four walks. He was taxed for 114 pitches. The Reds beat the Nationals, 6-3, handing Strasburg his
first loss of the season.
The most frustrating part of Strasburg's outing was most of the Reds hits stayed in the infield. But it
was enough to get the Cincinnati offense going.
"They have a bunch of good hitters," manager Davey Johnson said on the MASN television postgame. "Stras
threw the ball alright but didn't hit his spots when he needed to. It cost us."
Second baseman Danny Espinosa did not help Strasburg's cause in the sixth inning when he elected to go
home on a grounder instead of initiating a possible 4-6-3 double play. That run started a three-run game-
changing rally for the Reds.
It was not Strasburg's best performance, and Johnson was concerned about the location of the young
hurlers' changeup during the Reds' rallies, which was not on target.
"He didn't make as good pitches as he did after the first and second innings," Johnson said. "He
started to hit his spots a lot better. I thought he mixed pitches up good but location of pitches means
everything."
