Steven Strasburg’s Injury Gets Pitcher Pulled After Second Inning
Steven Strasburg suffered an injury in the second inning of the Nationals’ game against the Braves on Friday. The right-handed pitcher has already had problems while pitching in the series against Atlanta.
On Friday night, Strasburg snapped a curve ball to Dan Uggla, completing a second shutout inning. But he never returned for the third. Instead, he was pulled from the game for an apparent injury.
After speaking with Nationals trainer Lee Kuntz and pitching coach Steve McCatty, Craig Stammen was sent in for relief. Steven Strasburg reportedly suffered a lower back issue.
While it’s not clear how long Strasburg suffered from the injury before he was pulled, he appeared uncomfortable while pitching through the second inning. A person familiar with the situation added that the pitcher has had back issues in the past. Thankfully for his career, it was not an issue with Strasburg’s shoulder or arm.
With the Braves’ Brian McCann at bat, Strasburg threw to consecutive changeups — the same pitch that caused his collateral ligament to snap in 2010. After that, Strasburg’s fastball dipped to 94 miles per hour. His next five fastballs also hovered in the range of 93 and 95 miles per hour.
Strasburg also appeared to roll his shoulder and grimace in possible pain afterward. The pitcher’s apparent injury after two innings on Friday throws a new kink into the Nationals’ series against the Braves. The team sat at 27-27 before the weekend and have already gone without Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman, Wilson Ramos, and Ross Detwiler for portions of the season.
The team’s pitching depth was also dealt a blow when right-hander Chris Young went on the disabled list. Most recently, Steven Strasburg appeared to have shoulder problems when he frequently shook out his shoulder during a game on April 29.
After that game, Manager Davey Johnson explained the pitcher had some tightness in his shoulder. But he hasn’t had any problems since then. It is not clear how much time Steven Strasburg’s apparent injury will cost him.
[Image via dbking]
