Royals Hand Strasburg First MLB Loss

Stephen Strasburg suffered his first MLB loss this afternoon as the Kansas City Royals bested the Washington Nationals 1-0.

Although Strasburg surrendered nine hits in six innings pitched he did strike out another nine batters without walking anyone. The only run Strasburg surrendered was a RBI single to Jose Guillen in the top of the 5th.

In four starts, Strasburg has struck out 41 batters in 25 and one third innings pitched while walking only five. All five of those walks came in his second start in Cleveland when he trouble with the mound at Progressive Field. So in three starts at Nationals Park, Strasburg has yet to yield a walk in 20 innings pitched.

In his last two starts, Strasburg has surrendered only two runs in 13 innings pitched. He has a no decision and a loss to show for his efforts. The Nationals have scored only one run in those two starts. But given that the Nats are not a good team it is to be expected that Strasburg's won loss record won't be as impressive as his ERA and strikeout totals.

Strasburg's next start will be against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. The Braves are actually the first team he's faced with a winning record. It will be interesting to see if Strasburg has any problems with the mound in Atlanta. It will also be interesting to see how he fares against Braves rookie sensation Jason Heyward.