Seeking his rhythm, Strasburg sees fine-tuning producing results

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg wants to embrace the notion of using spring training to get his arm in shape and try some new things in games that really don't matter a lick. He really does. He comes to camp in that mode, but when you're a veteran who relies heavily on a comfort zone provided by pattern and routine, even the smallest deviations can seem like huge changes.

"I would say I don't give myself too long a leash," Strasburg said this afternoon after working 3 1/3 innings and throwing 63 pitches in his most demanding Grapefruit League action yet.

"Like today, I threw a lot more sliders and stuff than I normally would. I threw a lot more two-seamers than I normally would. But those are pitches that I know, when I do incorporate them up to a certain degree, it makes my other stuff better. Speaking of today, my curveball command wasn't really there. But the positive is I'm getting the break I want out of it and it's sharp. It's just more about getting the reps and fine-tuning where I want to start it."

Strasburg's line wasn't particularly impressive - three hits and two runs allowed, two walks, five strikeouts and two wild pitches - but if this were a real game instead of the Grapefruit League, he'd be talking about pitching well enough to keep his team in a game the Nationals eventually won 8-5 (even though the right-hander departed trailing 2-0).

"I think for me, I've kind of experienced all spectrums and I've really tried to use spring training more as what it is, spring training," he said. "And it's hard because I'm a really impatient person. But I know that trust and trust in the process and everything's going to fine-tune itself. I just look at it more as big picture and I'd much rather have more left in the tank on the back end than blow it a little too early."

Strasburg knows he's most valuable to the Nationals if he can pitch well the whole season, and new manager Davey Martinez has been firm about wanting his important veterans to get their breaks early in the campaign in hopes that they will be fresher longer.

Strasburg isn't averse to that philosophy, though a younger version of the right-hander might have fought tooth and nail to pitch more and more often.

"I think that's just the general consensus," he said. "I'm not taking it easy by any means. I think my first outing was just a simulated game. Now I've got two starts so I'm there with everybody else. As far as what I'm sequencing and stuff, every year I'm just trying to get better. Some things work, some things don't. I usually end up going back to what I've always done because it's always been fairly successful. But now's the time to play with things and see if you can incorporate more things in your game."

Ah, back to the patterns that are so familiar and comforting.

But Strasburg has worked with starting catcher Matt Wieters for just one season, and he's taking a crash course in trying to assimilate with veteran Miguel Montero, who started Thursday and is making a push to be Wieters' backup.

"He makes it a little easy on the catcher because you know every finger you put down is going to be plus," Montero said of his batterymate. "He's pretty good, but right now still trying to find a little bit of rhythm. Same with me."

But rhythm takes time, and is counterintuitive to a pitcher who, above all else, seems to cherish familiarity and routine.

"I can tell he's trying to get the rhythm, too, the tempo," Montero said. "Sometimes he gets a little rusty and he's trying to do too much. ... His arm speed and his body are kind of not synched up yet. It's times where it is and you can see the difference on the pitches. But it's early, though, so even though it's early, you can tell he looks like he's in midseason form."

Strasburg, of course, can be his most analytical critic, and often has trouble cutting himself some slack - at least until he reaches his comfort zone.

"Fastball command was fairly good," he said. "Working on things I probably won't be doing during the season. The biggest thing is it's starting to come back to me, so it's just about getting the reps, getting more up-and-downs and throwing more innings."

* Right-hander Wander Suero came on to pitch the ninth inning, but was removed after two pitches when he felt some tightness in his left side, Martinez said.

"He complained of tightness in his left side, so we took him out," Martinez said. "Right now, he's going to get re-evaluated. There's no MRI or anything scheduled. We'll see how he feels tomorrow."