Still buzzing about Stephen Strasburg

It's a shame that injuries made us wait until August 8 to see the best of Stephen Strasburg this season. The right-hander missed nearly two months, or approximately nine valuable starts, with two separate trips to the disabled list, not to mention a few other nagging discomforts he tried to but was never really able to pitch through.

After last night's dazzling 12-strikeout, three-hit lockdown, Colorado had to be wishing Strasburg's rehab lasted just a bit longer.

"It was top-shelf stuff," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "His stuff was very crisp (last night). He was in complete control, really. It was going to be tough to score of him. He looked like an elite guy, like he's been. Not surprising to us."

Early in the season when Strasburg struggled, Nationals manager Matt Williams repeatedly asked the right-hander to be aggressive with his imposing heater to set the table for his filthy off-speed repertoire. That's what Strasburg presented to the Rockies in the opening inning when he pumped a blazing 98 mph fastball past All-Star Nolan Arenado, the National League's RBI leader.

"Being able to come back for his first game and do what he did tonight, go seven strong and really shove like he did," said Bryce Harper. "He established his fastball early and never looked back."

"If he's got fastball down and away to a right-hander early on, then he's got a lot of weapons," Williams said. "He climbed the ladder a couple times on fastballs as well. He felt good coming in. I thought he was in command all night."

Strasburg threw 91 pitches through his seven dominant innings, and Williams was ready to send him back out for the eighth until the Nationals added two more triggered by Ryan Zimmerman's RBI single and Harper scoring on Clint Robinson's double play grounder. With the long wait late in the game and holding a five-run lead, Williams said there was "no sense pushing (Strasburg) if we don't have to."

"Stephen looked great," Zimmerman said. "He attacked. He used his fastball even on 0-2 counts, two-strike counts, anything. He was pounding the zone and keeping the ball down.

"That's the best I've seen him look in a long time, so hopefully this kind of bad luck that he's been having where he's had these little things ... it stinks to see that happen to someone who works as hard as he does. Hopefully, he can get rid of those things and be that guy for the next 2 1/2 months. That was special."

Not only does Strasburg have time to salvage his laborious season, he has the capability of being a difference maker in the race with the Mets for the NL East crown. Strasburg turned on the jets at this exact point last season, powering through his final nine starts by going 6-1 with a 1.69 ERA.

"I have personal expectations for myself every time and I can't really worry about when the last time I pitched in this setting was," Strasburg said. "I just want to go out there and compete and leave it all out there on the field."