On the eight-year anniversary of Stephen Strasburg‘s debut, he exited after 2-innings with some discomfort in his shoulder which manager Dave Martinez has called inflammation and Strasburg will get an MRI tomorrow. Nationals Park was rocking with a sold-out crowd of over 41,000, and the Nationals fell behind early behind Strasburg 3-0. Wander Suero gave up 3 more runs. The Nationals clawed back and got the game to a 6-5 deficit, but then Brandon Kintzler struggled followed by Matt Grace who let 2 of Kintzler’s runners to score pushing the score to 9-to-5 and out of reach.
The Nationals offense had hits in all spots except from Pedro Severino, and Matt Adams and Adrian Sanchez both came up big in pinch-hitting spots. Once again, Juan Soto was the hitting star as he got the Nats on the board with an oppo 2-run home run. Unfortunately Wilmer Difo and Trea Turner were the only batters to reach base twice and the Nationals were 2-for-9 in RISP spots in the game.
“They’re swinging the bats really well,” Martinez said.
All indication are that Adam Eaton will join the team tomorrow. Eaton will need a 40-man spot so even if Stephen Strasburg heads to the DL, the Nationals need to get creative for roster moves and how to replace Strasburg if he isn’t able to make his next start.
The Nationals have a 12:05 start tomorrow, and the Washington Capitals will be appearing at the stadium with the Stanley Cup. The “Great 8” Alexander Ovechkin will be throwing out the first pitch tomorrow. Arrive early if you plan on attending!
