District Daily: Nats Not Calling Strasburg’s Pitches, Harper Could Start Rehab Monday
By Pablo Roa
Jun 14, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher
Stephen Strasburg(37) is taken out of the game after giving up a home run to St. Louis Cardinals first baseman
Matt Adams(not pictured) at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
Checkout some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web:
Williams: Nats not calling Strasburg’s pitches
WASHINGTON — The Nationals’ game plan for Braves outfielder Jason Heyward was made apparent Friday night when right-handerStephen Strasburg threw 18 fastballs out of 19 pitches to Heyward in three at-bats.
Strasburg struck out Heyward in the first at-bat on six fastballs in the top of the second inning. Heyward responded with a single off a fastball in the top of the fourth inning before ripping a two-run double over the head of Jayson Werth in right field on yet another fastball in the fifth inning to give the Braves a 4-1 lead in an eventual 6-4, 13-inning victory.
After the game, Strasburg commented on the approach. Read full article here.
Harper could start rehab stint as early as Monday
WASHINGTON — A Major League source said Saturday night that Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper (torn thumb ligament) will begin a rehab assignment with Class A Potomac on Monday. But manager Matt Williams didn’t confirm the claim before the game vs. Atlanta.
“I heard a vicious rumor going around that he’s going out Monday,” Williams said. “Is that his plan? Because nobody told me.”
Williams did say Harper would leave for an assignment at some point during the Nationals’ upcoming road trip, which starts on Monday. Read full article here.
Braves may have their number, but Nationals, built for the long haul, have no reason to panic
In 1983, the Philadelphia Phillies had a big problem: the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 11 of 12 games during the regular season, the Dodgers defeated the Phillies.
When it mattered most, though, the Phillies won. Philadelphia eliminated Los Angeles, three games to one, in the National League Championship Series. That’s a history lesson Washington Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo can enjoy.
Before last night’s 3-0 win over Atlanta, the Nationals were having about as much fun against the Braves as the Phillies did long ago against the Dodgers. The Nationals are now 2-7 this season against the club expected to be their top challenger to win the NL East. The Nationals are 8-20 against the Braves since opening day of 2013 but can still earn a series split with a win today.
Those are numbers that would stir concern at the highest levels of most organizations. But the Nationals aren’t panicking. They shouldn’t. Read full article here.