As they streamed through the gates at Nationals Park on Sunday, the first 25,000 fans in attendance were handed Stephen Strasburg bobbleheads, souvenirs to commemorate his memorable debut more than five years ago.
While his likeness was being distributed, the pitcher himself was dealing with another dose of bad news. Less than two weeks after returning from the disabled list, Strasburg went back on the shelf Sunday afternoon, this time with a left oblique strain. Right-hander Taylor Jordan was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to serve as a long reliever for the next few days, and the Washington Nationals were once again left to make do without one of their most dominant arms.
“It’s unfortunate because he felt good and was pitching great,” manager Matt Williams said before the Nationals faced the San Francisco Giants. “It is what it is, and he’s disappointed about it, and so are we. But it’s part of the game. We have to get him back healthy and going as quickly as we can, making sure that he’s 100 percent fully ready to go when he does come back.”
Strasburg first felt the injury in the fourth inning Saturday afternoon, after his 56th pitch of the game resulted in a groundout by Giants catcher Buster Posey. Strasburg grimaced after delivering the pitch, nursing the left side of his torso.
After a lengthy discussion with Williams, pitching coach Steve McCatty and assistant athletic trainer Steve Gober, the 27-year-old right-hander trudged off the field. He had allowed only one hit to that point and appeared to be as dominant as he’s been all season.
“I don’t really have an explanation,” Strasburg said afterwards. “Everything felt good. The pitch to Posey there, he grounded out, and I just felt it grabbing.”
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Williams first described the injury as tightness in Strasburg’s left side and said an MRI on Sunday revealed the strain. Williams did not specify the severity of the strain, nor outline a timetable for Strasburg’s return.
“We went through it the last time that he went on the DL and having to make sure that he’s fully ready, so we’ll see,” Williams said. “[The oblique] reacts differently with everybody, and 15 days from now, we’ll have a better answer. I know that.”
The oblique injury is just the latest in a string of maladies that Strasburg has dealt with this season. He sprained his left ankle in spring training, then left his first start in May with back soreness. A chiropractic adjustment helped, but four starts later, he made yet another early exit, this time with a strained left trapezius muscle.
A trip to the disabled list allowed Strasburg to rest those various injuries and also address a minor alignment issue in his mechanics, which might have been the cause. When he returned the rotation on June 23, he looked healthy and mentally rejuvenated. In his next two starts, it was more of the same. In parts of three games, he posted a 1.15 ERA with four walks and 18 strikeouts.
That’s what made Saturday’s injury so difficult for the Nationals to stomach.
“It definitely affects us because he’s a big part of our team,” center fielder Denard Span said. “There’s no question that we need him to be healthy first and foremost, because when he is healthy, we know that he can carry the staff if need be, so just praying for his health.”
Strasburg did not speak to reporters before the game on Sunday. A day earlier, he was unsure whether his most recent injury was related to the others.
“I really can’t say,” Strasburg said. “Everything felt good. I was commanding the fastball really well today, especially the last couple outings. Making good strides. But sometimes you don’t have an explanation for what happens.”
Though losing Strasburg to injury is a significant blow, the timing of the injury was fortuitous for the Nationals. They have a day off on Thursday, then only three more games until the all-star break, which begins Monday. That means that they could effectively skip Strasburg’s turn in the rotation without calling up a replacement.
Williams pointed out this option without committing to it. He said that the rotation is set through the team’s upcoming series against the Cincinnati Reds, with Doug Fister pitching Monday, Max Scherzer starting Tuesday and Gio Gonzalez pitching Wednesday.
Beyond that, Williams said, the Nationals can be flexible.
“If there is a silver lining, [being] given the four days off that we have for the break helps,” Williams said. “But you never want something like this to happen to one of your guys.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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