STRASBURG ALLOWS FIVE RUNS IN JUST THREE INNINGS IN PENULTIMATE 2012 START

 “I think as a professional you want to go out there and give it everything you have every single time out. So, that’s what I wanted to go out there and do. Unfortunately it wasn’t good enough.” Stephen Strasburg, on his rough outing

Stephen Strasburg made his last start at home for 2012 – Miami Marlins v. Washington Nationals, 9/7/2012. (Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)

The night certainly did not go as planned for Stephen Strasburg. Shaky from the start — he walked the game’s first hitter – Strasburg had trouble commanding his prodigious fastball the entire appearance. And when he did throw strikes with it, the Marlins hammered it all over the park.

Despite going down into a 6-2 hole early at Strasburg’s expense, the Nats — as they have done all season long — battled back to eventually tie the game in eighth inning. But normally reliable closer Tyler Clippard couldn’t do the job last night, the Marlins scored thrice in the top of the 10th and the Nats tried valiantly, but vainly, to come back for a second time in the game in the bottom of the inning but fell short, losing to the Miami Marlins 9-7, before 28,533 at Nats Park.

The Nats actually had the game-tying runs at second and third base with no outs, but Marlins side-armed reliever Steve Cishek struck out Danny Espinosa, Roger Bernadina and Jayson Werth to strand those runners and save the game.

The Nats (85-53) lead in the N.L. East fell to 6 1/2 games as a result of the Atlanta Braves 3-0 win over the New York Mets.

In the first inning, after a walk to leadoff hitter Bryan Petersen, Strasburg struck out Justin Ruggiano on a knee-buckling curveball. But Jose Reyes singled, which brought up Giancarlo Stanton, the notorious Nats-killer. Stanton entered game 26-for-66 (.394/.453/.879) with eight doubles and eight home runs  in 17  games at Nationals Park, and added to those totals last night.

Stanton scorched a ground ball off Ryan Zimmerman’s glove at third and into foul territory that scored Petersen and moved Reyes up to third. Reyes then scored on a short pop fly to right that Adam LaRoche handled, but couldn’t turn to make a strong throw home. Had Jayson Werth fielded the pop fly, Reyes would have had to hold.

Regardless, Strasburg’s troubles continued the next inning, when the No. 8 hitter, rookie catcher Rob Brantly, lifted a fly ball to right that just kept carrying until it settled into the first row of the stands above Werth’s head.

That was not the extent of the damage, unfortunately. Stanton crushed a 1-0 fastball over the out-of-town scoreboard in right center for his 31st homer of the season. Greg Dobbs doubled later in the inning and came home on Donovan Solano’s single that Werth bobbled in right field.

All told, Strasburg gave up five earned runs on six hits and three walks in just three innings, tying his shortest outing of the season. He struck out just two batters, throwing 37 of his 67 pitches for strikes.

“I didn’t command the fastball,” Strasburg told MASNSports.com after the game. “I kept getting behind in counts. If I keep falling behind, I wasn’t able to use my other pitches effectively and you know, they teed off on me a little bit.”

Asked if the impending shut down weighed on his mind while on the mound, Strasburg replied. “Nah, I just don’t think I pitched well.”

His manager, though, wasn’t as sure as his pitcher. “To be honest with you, I think he just was thinking too much about the decision of when we’re gonna shut him down,” Davey Johnson said in his post-game press conference. “He kinda wore it [on the mound]. I didn’t like it. But that’s the way it is. I think he wasn’t focused as much on the game as he was on the impending shut down. Just the way I read it.”

“I can understand where he’s at,” Johnson continued. “In conversations that I’ve had with him, he was having trouble sleeping thinking about, you know, letting the guys down. So, I understand his mood.”

Regardless of Strasburg’s performance, the Nats came storming back in the late innings. In the bottom of the seventh, they got three runs off three consecutive hits off Marlins reliever Carlos Zambrano, who did not retire a batter. Ian Desmond started the rally with a single to center, and Danny Espinosa and Kurt Suzuki followed with back-to-back doubles. Steve Lombardozzi pinch-hit for the pitchers spot hit a grounder to the right of second base, but beat the throw by diving into first base. The ball got away from Carlos Lee and Suzuki scored to make it 6-5 at that point. Even though there were still no outs at that point, the Nats couldn’t score again in the inning.

They did the next inning, though, on Michael Morse’s 13th home run of the year, a blast to the right center field stands above the Geico ad to the left of the out-of-town scoreboard, which tied the game.

The ninth inning came and went for both clubs, but the 10th inning proved exciting and ultimately frustrating for Nats fans. The Marlins scored three times in the top of the frame off Clippard (L, 2-4, 3.19). Peterson hit a soft liner to short right, and Ruggiano snuck one underneath Espinosa’s glove to put runners at the corners. Jose Reyes then lined one to left center that Bryce Harper laid out for, but fell beyond his outstretched glove. It went for a triple, and Reyes came home on a sacrifice foul fly out but Carlos Lee to go up 9-6.

In the bottom of the frame, Adam LaRoche led off with a double, and Michael Morse plated him with a ground ball that hit second base umpire Tony Randazzo and caromed into left field. Ian Desmond followed with a double to put runners at second and third with no outs. But Danny Espinosa took a mighty hack at a ball well off the outside of the plate for strike three for the first out of the inning. Kurt Suzuki walked to load the bases, but Cishek stuck out Roger Bernadina on three pitches and got Jayson Werth to chase a frisbee slider to end the game.

THE TAKEAWAY: So much in this game. Strasburg, obviously, was a big disappointment in his last start at Nats Park this year, but no one is more disappointed than the pitcher himself. He’s a guy that puts a lot of pressure on himself and he certainly was not at his best last night. Whether Davey’s opinion that the shut down was wearing on him was the case or not, Strasburg couldn’t control his fastball. When he did get it over, the Marlins pounded it.

The Nats showed tremendous resiliency, as they have all season long, coming back to tie the game in the eighth, then get the tying runs on again in the 10th after the gut-wrenching top of the inning when it would have been easy to give in. But the approach Espinosa and Bernadina took in their at bats in the 10th just plain stunk. All either batter needed to do was put the ball in play. Instead, both tried to play hero, taking massive cuts at Cishek’s sidearm frisbees. Davey has said on occasion this season Espinosa sometimes fights himself and laxes into bad habits at the plate. This was a good example.

PHOTO GALLERY: See our photo gallery here.

THE GOOD: Michael Morse. It was his first home run since Aug. 17, and it was good to see. He’s just so damn strong, he turned a 96 MPH fastball around in a hurry. Also, kudos to Zack Duke for four innings of relief work, allowing just one run on three hits and two walks, keeping the Nats in the game and letting the hitters finally come around.

One more: top of the ninth, one out, Miami had runners on the corners against Drew Storen. Catcher Rob Brantly flied out to medium deep center field, and the Marlins decided to test Harper’s arm, sending third baseman Greg Dobbs home. Harper fired a one-hop bullet to Suzuki, who had time to situate himself and prepare for the contact from Dobbs, who was out by 15 feet. Don’t run on Harper, son.

THE BAD: Clippard. He’s been so good this season, but when the closer has a bad outing it’s really obvious. Still, I think the ball that eluded Espinosa for the second single in the 10th was fieldable, and I think Espinosa would tell you the same thing.

THE UGLY: Strasburg. There’s no getting around it. There was a big crowd on hand tonight to see his last home start and it was a massive let down to see him get hit around in three innings of work.

THE STATS: 13 hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks. 3-for-7 with RISP, 9 LOB, no GIDP. No errors, 1 DP.

NEXT GAME: Saturday at 1:05 against the Marlins. Ross Detwiler (9-6, 3.15) hosts lefty Mark Buehrle (12-12, 3.73).

Jayson Werth and Kurt Suzuki high-five Bryce Harper after gunning out Greg Dobbs in the ninth inning. – Miami Marlins v. Washington Nationals, 9/7/2012. (Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)