Strasburg not hitting high velocity, still satisfied with progress

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg was able to come within one out of finishing six innings in a no-decision Thursday night against the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs won the game with two runs in the 10th frame, 6-4.

Strasburg allowed two runs in the third inning on three consecutive hits. Strasburg fired 111 pitches for the Nationals in 5 2/3 innings of work, allowing only three runs, two of them earned.

The Cubs managed to string together six hits against him. Strasburg struck out six and walked three in the 27 batters faced.

The main headline that stands out in each of these Strasburg outings since he returned from the disabled list - now four starts in since August 22 - is his fastball velocity.

Usually when Strasburg is Strasburg he hits 97 mph with his fastball. In these four starts he has hovered around 92-94 mph. His fastest pitches on the night according to MLB.com were 94.1, 94.3, 94.4 (three times) and 94.5 mph.

"You know, it's getting better," Strasburg said of his return. "Velocity isn't quite there just yet, but the life is there so I think that's a positive, so I just keep grinding, just keep working at it, and it seems like there are stretches when it feels better and there are stretches when it doesn't feel as consistent, but I think anybody can say the same thing."

Is manager Davey Martinez concerned about Strasburg's velocity?

"Stras, he was awesome," Martinez said. "111 pitches. Came out and said he felt really good. That's encouraging. He's getting better. Still 95 mph sometimes, but he's pitching, and he's doing really well."

Martinez decided to stay with Strasburg into the sixth inning even though he was over 90 pitches. The Nats enjoyed a 4-3 lead at that time.

"He's been 90 mph, 93 mph, so we wanted to get him out there and see what he could do. Before the game, he said he felt good. We wanted to see what he had."

And Martinez continued to seem to be not worried that Strasburg is not hitting his upper 90's mph velocity now four starts into his return from his cervical nerve impingement.

"He's pitching now. He's not throwing at 97 mph, but he's making good pitches every at-bat, and I like that.

"For me, I like what I see because he's pitching in and out, using his change-up in good counts, attacking with his fastball down," Martinez explained. "His sinker is really good, going in on righties. I mean he's doing all these things. He's not trying to overpower people, but he's actually pitching and making good pitches."

Strasburg understood that the Cubs would try to tax him by attempting to go deep in each at-bat. So, he was satisfied that he was able to fight through 111 pitches and leave with the lead in the sixth.

"Yeah, I mean they were grinding out there, they have a pretty deep lineup, you know you can't take pitches off with them, so you just got to kind of keep executing, you're never out of the count with them either, they're a pretty aggressive team," Strasburg said.

He faced off in the first matchup of the night against his former teammate, Daniel Murphy, now playing second base for the Cubs. He was able to induce a weak pop up to second base for the first out of the game. Murphy went 1-for-3 against Strasburg with a. clean single in the fifth.

"Yeah, he talks a lot about hitting, so I eavesdropped on him for a few years," Strasburg smiled. "So, kind of knew what he was trying to do and have him avoid trying to barrel the ball. So, if I could contain him and make him go the other way, you know I'm okay with that."

His teammate behind at shortstop, Trea Turner, also doesn't seem to be too concerned that this is not vintage Strasburg heat, 97-98 mph, but instead just 92-94 mph. Turner believes that Strasburg can still build back some strength and that might be one reason by he hasn't hit 97 mph as regularly as he had earlier this season.

"I noticed he's probably 92, 94 mph," said Turner. "I feel like he's not blowing it by people, but still getting on people, still has life, like you said. That's fine. I don't know how he feels obviously, anything like that, but people pitch at all sorts of velocities.

"As long as he's making pitches, mixing up speeds, keeping us in ball games, he'll be fine. I think the velocity will probably come back eventually. Like I said, I don't know how far he is into everything, but he pitched good tonight."