PHOENIX (AP) — Stephen Strasburg made no excuses. His back was fine; it was just a lousy night on the mound.
One of the worst of his career.
The Washington right-hander didn’t make it through the fourth inning Tuesday night in a 14-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks that snapped the Nationals’ five-game winning streak
“I am embarrassed I let the team down,” he said. “I am just trying to go out there and help the team win some games and I didn’t do that tonight. I just have to turn the page and get back on it tomorrow.”
Strasburg allowed a career-worst eight runs, seven earned, in 3 1-3 innings. The seven earned runs matched a career high.
“It was certainly not what he wanted,” Washington manager Matt Williams said. “The fact that he got through it and felt good physically was good. His fastball was good but he didn’t locate it. He got beat on his off-speed pitches tonight. Physically he is good, so that is a positive sign for us.”
PHOTOS: Strasburg ripped by Diamondbacks in Nationals' 14-6 loss
It was the roughest in a string of difficult outings for Strasburg (2-4).
“I am just not making good pitches. I am trying to figure that out,” he said. “It would happen if I knew what it was.”
Strasburg had his start pushed back a day after leaving his previous outing after three innings with lower back tightness, but he said that was not an issue on the mound.
“I think every time he made a mistake - not every time but close to every time - we put some wood on it and some really good things happened,” said Mark Trumbo, who homered twice to drive in four runs.
Bryce Harper hit his seventh home run in the last six games, a two-run shot. But not much else went right for Washington. The 14 runs were the most allowed by the Nationals since they moved to Washington in 2005 and were one shy of the most given up when they were the Montreal Expos.
Outfielder-infielder Clint Robinson tossed a scoreless eighth inning, the first time a position player has pitched for the Nationals since the franchise moved from Montreal.
Rubby De La Rosa (4-2) allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings. He also got his first career RBI. Arizona has scored 25 runs in his last two starts.
Chris Owings was a home run short of the cycle for the Diamondbacks. David Peralta and Aaron Hill each added three hits.
Hill’s double to deep left field brought in two runs in the first inning. Ender Inciarte added a solo homer in the third.
Owings led off the Arizona fourth with a triple and scored on Tuffy Gosewisch’s single. Nick Ahmed singled, then Strasburg bobbled De La Rosa’s sacrifice bunt attempt, loading the bases. Inciarte brought one home with a sacrifice fly, then Trumbo hit one far into the outdoor eating area of Friday’s Front Row Sports Grill above the stands in left.
UMPIRE HURT
Plate umpire Kerwin Danley left the game after taking a sharp foul ball to the facemask off Ahmed’s bat in the second inning. He bent over in pain before walking off the field. Three umpires worked the rest of the game, with Gabe Morales behind the plate.
Danley was taken to a hospital as a precaution and for a possible concussion. He underwent a CT scan but the results weren’t immediately known.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: Right-handed reliever Casey Janssen pitched an inning for Double-A Harrisburg against Reading. Out with shoulder inflammation, he was eligible to come of the 15-day DL on Tuesday but will get some more rehab work in the minors.
Diamondbacks: C Oscar Hernandez popped scar tissue loose on his left hand while batting in an extended spring training game Monday. An MRI is scheduled later in the week. The Rule 5 acquisition has been sidelined since breaking his left hand in late March.
UP NEXT
Nationals: The teams conclude a three-game series with an afternoon matchup. The Nationals send LHP Gio Gonzalez (3-2, 3.62 ERA) to the mound.
Diamondbacks: Struggling RHP Jeremy Hellickson (1-3, 5.85) starts the series finale for Arizona. He has never faced the Nationals. Only two players on the Washington roster (Denard Span and Yunel Escobar) have batted against him.
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