Stephen Strasburg held the Arizona Diamondbacks to one run on five hits in 6 2⁄3 innings of work on the mound in Chase Field, striking out nine of the 27 batters he faced, and the Washington Nationals took a third straight game in Phoenix, AZ with an RBI double by Bryce Harper in the third and an RBI groundout by Anthony Rendon in the fourth providing all the scoring the visiting team needed in a 2-1 win.
Strasbunny vs D-backs: With back-to-back wins in his last two starts before this afternoon’s outing in Arizona’s Chase Field, Stephen Strasburg improved to (4-3) after eight starts with a 3.52 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 12 walks (2.01 BB/9), 59 Ks (9.89 K/9), and a .220/.271/.396 line against in 53 2⁄3 IP in 2018.
Strasburg’s last loss came against the Diamondbacks when he faced them in D.C. late last month. He gave up six hits, two walks, and five runs, and said he had to change things up since the D-backs’ hitters seemed to have made some adjustments since the last time he saw them.
“They’re doing a few things differently I guess to start the year,” Strasburg told reporters.
“But it’s a long season, and I’m just trying to pick up as much as I can. I think the good thing they did is they capitalized when they got guys on base, and that’s something that you have to do.”
The D-backs loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first, with back-to-back hits to start the frame, and a hit-by-pitch filling them up after Strasburg got an out on a force at second, but a fly to short right field by Steven Souza, Jr. and a swinging K from Ketel Marte ended the early threat. 0-0 after one.
Strasburg struck out five straight between the first and third innings, and was up to seven-straight outs overall with a 1-0 lead before he walked Paul Goldschmidt with two down in the third.
A 3-2 slider to A.J. Pollock in the next at bat was lined to left-center field for an RBI double that tied things up, 1-1.
There goes that man. A.J. Pollock doubles home Goldy and the @Dbacks pull even in the third. That's Pollock's 33rd RBI and 24th extra-base hit. pic.twitter.com/I86ljsCEDF
— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) May 12, 2018
Strasburg picked up two Ks for eight total in a 13-pitch, 1-2-3 fifth, and worked around a two-out single in a 12-pitch sixth that left him at 97 pitches overall.
Strasburg retook the mound in the bottom of the seventh, and recorded two outs before Davey Martinez went to the bullpen.
Stephen Strasburg’s Line: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 Ks, 106 P, 68 S, 4/4 GO/FO.
The bullpen takes over for No. 3⃣7⃣ in the 7th. pic.twitter.com/Y2aDT2wgDW
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) May 12, 2018
Scribner’s AZ debut: Selected off waivers by the D-backs in mid-April, former Los Angeles Angels’ right-hander Troy Scribner, who debuted in the majors with ten appearances, four of them starts, last season, was called up to face the Nats this afternoon in his fifth major league starting assignment.
In the previous four, the 26-year-old right-hander was (1-1) with a 4.32 ERA, seven walks, 15 Ks, and a .180 BAA in 16 2⁄3 innings, and he went (2-1) with a 5.68 ERA and a .200 BAA in 25 1⁄3 innings at Triple-A in Arizona’s system before they brought him up.
Scribner tossed two scoreless and hitless on 47 pitches to start this afternoon’s game, but gave up back-to-back hits in the first two at bats of the third, with Trea Turner (on an 0-2 fastball) and Bryce Harper (on an 0-2 change) singling and doubling, respectively, in back-to-back at bats with Turner scoring on Harper’s two-base liner for the first run of the game for either team, 1-0.
A nine-pitch, one-out walk to Matt Adams and a single by Howie Kendrick loaded the bases with one out in the Nationals’ half of the third, but back-to-back strikeouts got Scribner out of the inning without additional damage.
Pedro Severino’s leadoff single, and back-to-back, one-out walks to Turner and Harper gave Anthony Rendon a bases-loaded opportunity in the fourth, and he grounded into a force at second, but avoided a double play, 2-1 when Severino scored. That was it for Scribner.
Troy Scribner’s Line: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 4 Ks, 98 P, 59 S, 4/2 GO/FO.
Turner + Harper : Moved back into the leadoff spot last night, and hitting there again today, Nationals’ shortstop Trea Turner was 20 for 59 (.339 AVG) over his last 16 games going into this afternoon’s matchup, with three doubles, three homers, 10 RBIs, 10 walks, and 13 runs scored over that stretch, and he got the Nationals on the board early this afternoon.
Turner singled for the first hit off Troy Scribner on an 0-2 fastball to lead off the third, and scored from first on an RBI double to right by Bryce Harper, 1-0.
Harper’s double was his 4th of the season, and the two-base liner was his second double in two days and the 3rd hit in 19 at bats on the Nationals’ road trip.
Turner walked for the second time today to lead off the sixth, and took third on a single to center by Harper, but the Nationals’ right fielder got picked off first base, and Turner didn’t make it home trying to score on a grounder to short.
BULLPEN ACTION: D-backs’ lefty Jorge De La Rosa took over for Troy Scribner with runners on the corners and two out in the fourth and got a weak grounder to second. 2-1 Nationals after four.
T.J. McFarland gave up a leadoff single by Howie Kendrick, and a one-out single by Michael A. Taylor, but Kendrick was thrown out at home on a poorly-executed safety squeeze when Pedro Severino sent a bunt right back to the mound, making it easy for the D-backs’ lefty to get the out at the plate. Stephen Strasburg’s swinging K ended the threat. Still 2-1 Nationals.
McFarland issued the seventh free pass given up by Diamondbacks’ pitchers today to Trea Turner in the first at bat of the sixth, and Bryce Harper lined a single to center field to send Turner around to third, but Harper got picked off with Anthony Rendon at the plate. Turner got thrown out at home trying to score on a grounder to short by Rendon. No bueno. Matt Adams lined out to a sprinting Steven Souza in right to end the inning.
McFarland retired the Nationals in order in the top of the seventh.
#SlickNick, stop it! What a play. pic.twitter.com/YWDmG2EnMI
— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) May 12, 2018
Sammy Solis took over on the mound for Stephen Strasburg with two down and no one on in the bottom of the seventh inning, and got the final out of the inning with one pitch.
Solis came back out for the bottom of the eighth inning, and struck Daniel Descalso out with a 3-2 slider.
Martinez went to the pen for right-hander Shawn Kelley, in his second appearance of the month since returning from a DL stint, and Kelley walked Paul Goldschmidt after getting ahead, 0-2 to start the at bat. A.J. Pollock, 1 for 2 in the game, lined out sharply to center, and Steven Souza, Jr. worked the count full and K’d looking at a low called third strike.
Ryan Madson got the save opportunity with Sean Doolittle unavailable after earning saves in each of the first two games, and got a grounder to second from leadoff hitter Ketel Marte, only to have Wilmer Difo bobble the ball. E:4. Nick Ahmed bunted the runner into scoring position, but John Ryan Murphy K’d looking at a 97 mph 1-2 fastball for out No. 2, and Jarrod Dyson grounded out to first. Ballgame.
Final Score: 2-1 Nationals
Nationals now 23-18