The Washington Nationals played the rookie phenom on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday because of inflammation in his pitching shoulder. The Nationals are taking no chances with their superstar pitcher so don’t expect to see Strasburg’s name on the sportsbook online board even when he comes off the DL.
Strasburg was heavily favored when he was on the mound and for the most part he delivered. He was 5-2 with a 2.32 ERA, 75 strikeouts and 15 walks in 54 1/3 innings. Strasburg was unable to get warmed up for his last start and the Nationals took no chances and put the pitcher on the DL. Strasburg has already pitched more than he ever has in his young career so Washington wants to give him a nice rest.
The Nationals replaced Strasburg in the starting rotation with Scott Olsen and he pitched well in his first start as he beat the Braves. Miguel Batista had made an emergency start in Strasburg’s place but Batista is not considered a full time starter.
Rarely in Major League history did a rookie pitcher come into the league with more hype than Strasburg. The odds makers sure noticed as Strasburg was favored in all but one of this starts. He was more than a 2-1 favorite in his first start against Pittsburgh and the Nationals won that game 5-2. He was almost a 2-1 favorite in his next start against Cleveland and again the Nationals won. He got a no decision in a 2-1 Nationals loss to the Chicago White Sox. He took a 1-0 loss against Kansas City as a big -240 favorite. He also lost against the Braves as a +110 underdog. He got a no decision against the New York Mets but the Nationals won that game 6-5 as Strasburg was a -185 favorite. He won as a -145 favorite against the Giants, won as a -115 favorite against the Marlins, and won as a -120 favorite vs. the Reds.
It is possible that Strasburg will get a couple of more starts before the season is over but don’t look for Washington to give him too much work since they want to protect their superstar starting pitcher.