Both Washington Nationals pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross made rehab starts Tuesday. Strasburg pitched for Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals. Ross was with the Double-A Harrisburg Senators.
Nationals manager Dave Martinez previously stated the club was looking for Strasburg to pitch four innings and about 60 pitches.
Strasburg threw 61 pitches over the course of 2 ⅔ innings. He allowed three runs and three hits while walking four. He also had two wild pitches but struck out three, according to MASN’s Bobby Blanco. Strasburg topped out at 94 miles per hour.
The best outcome of the night was Strasburg got through the game healthy.
Strasburg is looking to return from surgery to alleviate neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. He last pitched in an MLB on June 1 of last year.
Stephen Strasburg signed a seven-year, $245 million extension after being named the 2019 World Series MVP. That season he pitched a league-leading 209 innings during the regular season. Then an additional 36 ⅓ innings during the Nationals’ run to a World Series championship.
However, since then, Strasburg has made just seven starts since the start of the 2020 season, posting a 5.74 ERA. He was shut down after two starts in 2020 and five last year.
Meanwhile, Joe Ross threw 31 pitches in three scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and hit a batter. He struck out four in the process.
Ross last pitched in an MLB game on August 10 of last year. He has been out since with a partially torn elbow ligament.
The Nationals currently have the second-worst record in MLB at 14-30. A large reason has been an unreliable starting rotation. Washington could use a boost by getting back two of its best starting arms.
