Stephen Strasburg's roller coaster season continues (with lineups)

By Josh Land

Nationals

September 15, 2015, 11:29am

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PHILADELPHIA - The roller coaster ride of a season continues for Stephen Strasburg tonight with the right-hander's 20th start of the year. Strasburg is coming off a hard luck loss to the Mets last Wednesday where he breezed through the first seven innings before surrendering a game-tying leadoff homer to Kelly Johnson in the eighth.

After fanning Kirk Nieuwenhuis for his season-high 13th strikeout of the game, Strasburg was yanked when he yielded a single to Curtis Granderson. Yoenis Cespedes then destroyed Drew Storen's slider for a go-ahead two-run home run, paving the way for the Mets' damaging sweep of the Nationals.

Strasburg is 3-2 with a 2.89 ERA in six starts since returning from DL on Aug. 8 after recovering from a left oblique strain. The 27-year-old has struck out 48 and walked only four over his previous 37 1/3 innings.

Ian Desmond is coming off his sixth four-strikeout game of the season. After heating up in August, Desmond's bat has burned out this month. Over 13 games this month, Desmond is slashing .224/.296/.286 with no homers, two RBIs and 20 strikeouts.

For the Nationals:

2B Anthony Rendon
3B Yunel Escobar
RF Bryce Harper
LF Jayson Werth
1B Clint Robinson
SS Ian Desmond
C Wilson Ramos
CF Michael A. Taylor
RHP Stephen Strasburg

For the Phillies:

LF Darnell Sweeney
SS Freddy Galvis
CF Odubel Herrera
2B Andres Blanco
3B Cody Asche
1B Darin Ruf
RF Brian Bogusevc
C Carlos Ruiz
RHP David Buchanan