WASHINGTON, D.C. - Considering that Stephen Strasburg had struggled in his first two starts, the Washington Nationals righthander could not have picked a better opponent than the Phillies to shake the early doldrums.
In 11 career starts against the Phillies, Strasburg was 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA. He had 82 strikeouts in 69 innings. Last season, Strasburg was 2-0 with a 1.42 in five starts against the Phillies with the Nationals going 4-1 in those games.
So when Strasburg started yesterday's game at Nationals Park by setting the Phillies down on eight pitches in a 1-2-3 first inning, he had to be feeling good about the way things were headed.