District On Deck
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Stephen Strasburg roughed up as Washington Nationals fall to Giants

By Pablo Roa

Aug 6, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker (12) removes starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) from the game against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 6, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker (12) removes starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) from the game against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Stephen Strasburg had a rare rough outing Saturday night, as the Washington Nationals fell to the San Francisco Giants, 7-1.

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg has been nothing short of spectacular for the Washington Nationals this season. He’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball all year long, and when he starts, he and his team are usually in for a good night.

Unfortunately, tonight was not one of those nights for Strasburg and the Nationals.

The right-hander pitched three scoreless innings to start the game, but the Giants’ offense came alive in the fourth inning and Strasburg didn’t make it out of the fifth.

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San Francisco scored its first run on an RBI single by Buster Posey in the fourth. They made it a 2-0 game when Strasburg walked Joe Panik with the bases loaded later in the frame.

An inning later, the Giants scored their third run of the game on an RBI double off the bat of Brandon Belt. A sacrifice fly by Brandon Crawford later in the inning stretched their lead to 4-0.

Strasburg wasn’t terrible, but it was by far one of his worst starts of the season. The right-hander gave up four runs on eight hits in just 4 2/3 innings of work, earning his second loss of 2016.

While the Giants were somehow able to figure out Strasburg, the same can’t be said for the Nationals’ offense against Giants’ starter Matt Cain, who held the Nationals scoreless over five innings, while striking out four batters and walking three.

It wasn’t a great day for the Nationals’ offense, with their lone run coming on an RBI single by Danny Espinosa in the bottom of the eighth. Espinosa had a great game at the plate, going 2-for-3 with the RBI. He was one of the lone bright spots of the Nats’ offense, joining the ever-reliable Wilson Ramos, who went 3-for-4 on the night.

The Giants scored a run in each of the last three innings, securing a 7-1 win over the Nationals.

Next Up: After tonight’s loss, the Nationals will look to take the series from the Giants tomorrow afternoon at Nationals Park. Tanner Roark gets the start for the Nationals, while Madison Bumgarner goes for the Giants. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. ET.

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