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Stephen Strasburg is set to make his fourth and final Grapefruit League start of the Spring this afternoon in the finale in Florida before the Washington Nationals and their ‘09 No. 1 pick head north to the nation’s capital for an exhibition game with the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.
In his three starts so far, Strasburg, 29, has given up 14 hits, five walks, and six runs, with nine Ks and a .333 BAA in 9 2⁄3 IP.
Three of the walks, three of the runs, and eight of the 14 hits he’s allowed came in his last start before today’s, when the right-hander faced Miami’s Marlins.
When he spoke to reporters after that outing, Strasburg wrote it off as another step on the way to the regular season.
“Execution-wise, it wasn’t my best,” he said, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman.
“I just chalk it up as another start, getting closer for the start of the season. Focus on the good pitches. There was a lot of outliers there today. ... I’m a little frustrated, but there’s always tomorrow.”
After today, Strasburg’s next start will be in Game 2 of 162 against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Nationals have one more game, back in D.C., before they head out to Ohio and the Great American Ball Park, where the 2018 campaign will begin this coming Thursday.
HERE’S THE NATIONALS’ LINEUP FOR TODAY’S GAME VS THE CARDINALS:
#Nats vs #Cards: Eaton LF, Rendon 3B, Harper RF, Kendrick 2B, Adams 1B, Turner SS, Taylor CF, Wieters C, Strasburg RHP
— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) March 25, 2018