As rotation struggles, Strasburg to begin rehab (Nats lose 6-3)

PITTSBURGH - Stephen Strasburg will make a rehab start Tuesday for Single-A Potomac and remains on track to rejoin the Nationals' rotation coming out of the All-Star break.

And that'll be not a moment too soon for a Nats ballcub that desperately needs one of its elite starters back after a brutally difficult stretch over the last month.

Strasburg, who went on the 10-day disabled list June 10 with right shoulder inflammation, is slated to pitch Tuesday for Potomac in a road game at Lynchburg. It'll be his first game action since suffering the injury, but it comes three days after he threw 60 pitches in a simulated game against live hitters at Nationals Park.

If all goes well, Strasburg figures to make one more rehab start as a final tune-up. If he starts Sunday, he'd be on track to make his return to the Nationals rotation as early as the July 20 second-half opener against the Braves, though the club could arrange the order of its starters however it likes coming out of the break.

Whenever it happens, Strasburg figures to take the spot currently being held by Jefry Rodriguez, who got off to a ragged start tonight against the Pirates. The 24-year-old right-hander, called up from the minors to replace the recently injured Erick Fedde, gave up four straight hits and three runs to begin tonight's game, digging his team into an early 3-0 hole.

The fact manager Davey Martinez desperately needed a quality performance from the rookie tonight only made the first frame tougher to watch.

Nationals starters have thrown only 21 total innings over the last five days, leaving the bullpen exhausted and in need of a lighter workload in the series opener against the Pirates.

No matter how Rodriguez fares tonight, the Nationals probably have no choice but to give him another start this weekend against the Mets. The only other big-league-ready options in their farm system are right-hander Austin Voth, who has been promoted a couple times to Washington this season but has not actually appeared in a game to make his major league debut, and journeyman Tommy Milone.

Update: It keeps getting worse. Rodriguez followed up his three-run first inning with a three-run second inning. That frame included an RBI triple by Corey Dickerson and a towering, two-run homer by Gregory Polanco. It's 6-1 Pirates after two, Rodriguez has thrown 53 pitches, but he's going to have to stay out there try to give this team at least a couple more innings at this point.

Update II: Things have improved here. Not that it has made much difference in the score, though. But at least Rodriguez has settled down and has been able to complete five innings on 90 pitches, making this a more manageable situation for the Nats bullpen. As far as a comeback goes ... well, Juan Soto did hit a laser to right field for his ninth big league homer. But that's it through five innings against Ivan Nova. So the Nationals still trail 6-2.

Update III: Make it 6-3 after Bryce Harper crushed a 443-foot homer to center field in the top of the sixth. That was one of the best swings he's had in a while. Then moments later, Adam Eaton and Francisco Cervelli started jawing at each other, prompting both benches and bullpens to empty. Nothing really came of it, but that was pretty weird.

Update IV: That'll do it. Nats lose 6-3 and fall back to the .500 mark at 45-45. The Phillies lost the opener of their doubleheader to the Mets, so they didn't lose any ground in the standings, but they still might pending the outcome of the nightcap. The Braves are off tonight.