Strasburg Takes the Mound as Nationals Go for Series Win

Aug 24, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) pitches against the San Francisco Giants at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

After last night’s impressive power surge led the Nationals to a 8-3 victory over Felix Hernandez and the Mariners, Washington looks to make it two in a row and seal a series win against Seattle tonight at Safeco Field.

Stephen Strasburg (10-10, 3.59 ERA) gets the start for the Nationals as he looks to bounce back from one of his worst starts of the season. The Nationals’ right-hander gave up five runs on eight hits in just four innings of work last Sunday against the Giants.

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Strasburg once again struggled locating his fastball, which is one of the main reasons he’s had such an inconsistent summer. It’s hard to tell which Strasburg will take the mound on a given day as the right-hander has often gone from ace to bust over a span of two starts. For example, in two starts prior to Sunday’s game against the Giants, Strasburg had surrendered just one run while striking out eight over 15 dominant innings.

“I was making dumb pitches,” Strasburg told MLB.com Sunday. “You want to challenge them, but at the same time you have to focus on hitting your spots. I really wasn’t doing that.”

Hopefully for the Nationals, Strasburg will revert back to his ace form tonight against Robinson Cano and the Mariners. Tonight’s game will be Strasburg’s first career start against Seattle.

The Mariners will counter with left-hander Roenis Elias (9-11, 4.01 ERA). Elias struggled a bit his last time out, allowing just one run but walking four batters over five innings in the Mariners’ 2-0 loss to the Rangers. The left-hander has never faced the Nationals in his career.

Prior to Saturday night’s game, the Nationals are 76-57 on the season and lead the Braves by six games in the NL East, pending the completion of Atlanta’s game against the Marlins.

Here are the lineups for tonight’s game:

1. CF: Denard Span
2. 3B: Anthony Rendon
3. RF: Jayson Werth
4. 1B: Adam LaRoche
5. SS: Ian Desmond
6. LF: Bryce Harper
7. DH: Wilson Ramos
8. 2B: Asdrubal Cabrera
9. C: Jose Lobaton
10. SP: Stephen Strasburg

Mariners

1. CF: Austin Jackson
2. LF: Dustin Ackley
3. 2B: Robinson Cano
4. DH: Kendrys Morales
5. 3B: Kyle Seager
6. 1B: Logan Morrison
7. SS: Chris Taylor
8. RF: James Jones
9. C: Jesus Sucre
10. SP: Roenis Elias