PHILADELPHIA — Look out, major leagues. Stephen Strasburg is back.
Over his first 10 starts of the year, the former No. 1 overall draft pick was 3-5 with a 6.55 ERA before departing a start against the Cincinnati Reds on May 29 after one inning. He spent the next month on the disabled list with neck and back issues.
Since his return, Strasburg is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. On Sunday, he went seven strong innings against the Phillies in the first game of a doubleheader, striking out nine while allowing four hits and two runs. He threw five scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves last Tuesday.
“It’s nice that he’s healthy, it’s nice that he feels good about going out there and has had no issues, which was great,” Nationals manager Matt Williams said. “When he doesn’t (have issues), you can see that can be the result.”
One of the top prospects in baseball when he was first called up in 2010, Strasburg lived up to his billing over his first few seasons in the league. After missing most of the 2011 season due to Tommy John surgery, he went 37-26 with a 3.10 ERA between 2012-14, leading the majors in strikeouts in 2014 (242).
Strasburg was in top form at the end of last season, going 7-2 with a 2.29 ERA in 11 starts from August through October, but that momentum didn’t carry over into 2015. An ankle injury in the spring forced a change in his mechanics, and the compensation ended up causing even more problems.
However, by striking out five Phillies in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings Sunday, Strasburg showed that he is not bothered by those problems any longer.
“This whole season, my arm strength’s always been there,” Strasburg said. “It’s been fighting through the mechanical issues and everything like that. I was glad to go out there for seven, and I felt just as strong in the seventh as I was in the first.”