WASHINGTON — A crowd of more than 41,000 came out in D.C. to watch their National treasure pitch Saturday afternoon, and Stephen Strasburg answered with his best work in four career starts against the Braves.
The Nationals’ young phenom beat the Braves for the second time in a week, but this time with pinpoint command, which made him untouchable for stretches. He struck out the first four batters he faced and nine overall in seven shutout innings of a 2-0 win.
After an off day Thursday and with Friday’s rainout, Braves hitters’ timing might have been off, in which case Strasburg was the last guy they would want to see.
The extra day of rest just seemed to add even more life to his fastball. He came out throwing 99 mph, which when paired with 91-mph change-ups, and 82-mph breaking pitches, made hitting him a daunting task.
Strasburg had scrambled with four walks in an 8-4 win over the Braves a week earlier at Turner Field, but Saturday he didn’t walk any and gave up only four hits. He improved to 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA against the Braves.
“That’s the best I’ve seen him throw,” Braves catcher Brian McCann said. “He basically could do whatever he wanted today. He was pounding the bottom of the zone. He was mixing it up. He was putting his curveball where he wanted it. When you throw that hard and you can command it like that, it makes it tough on hitters.”
McCann had to leave the game in the seventh with a left knee bruise, but hopes to be back in the lineup Sunday.
The Braves fell to 0-4 against the Nationals this season and three games back in the National League East. They’re 4-11 overall within the division.
Friday’s rainout might have allowed the Braves a more favorable matchup against Strasburg, with Brandon Beachy pitching instead of struggling left-hander Mike Minor, but Beachy was going to have to be nearly perfect to win considering the way that Strasburg pitched Saturday.
Jesus Flores spoiled that with a solo home run in the fifth inning, and the Nationals worked Beachy for 115 pitches and four walks through 6 1/3 innings.
Beachy left after a one-out walk in the seventh, but that runner came around to score on Jonny Venters, whose struggles continue. Venters has allowed two of three inherited runners to score in his past two games and given up runs of his own in three of his four outings before that. He hit McCann in the knee on a wild pitch, then gave up a double to right field by Xavier Nady.
If not for a base-running mistake by Flores, who tagged up at second on the play, it would have been 3-0.
But Beachy shouldered the blame after the game, sitting as his locker in his uniform pants and T-shirt long after he normally would have showered.
“I just wasn’t locating my fastball again today, [which] leads to me throwing way too many pitches and bad things happen,” said Beachy, now 5-4 despite a 1.87 ERA.
He has lost duels with Nationals aces Gio Gonzalez and Strasburg in his past two starts, while walking eight in 11 1/3 innings.
“I’ve got to win those games,” Beachy said. “I’m just not good enough yet.”
On a brighter note, Andrelton Simmons played flawlessly in the field in his major league debut, handling each of his five chances at shortstop. He went 0-for-3 but grounded sharply off Strasburg into a double play in the fifth, one of two by the Braves in the game.
Because of the rainout, his parents Elston and Myrella arrived from Curacao in time to watch his debut from the stands. Simmons acknowledged he felt some nerves but said, “I wasn’t intimidated. I was kind of anxious, but it went away pretty quick.”
He said he knew it would after he fielded his first ground ball, which he got in the first inning on what he called a routine ball up the middle by Michael Morse. Second baseman Dan Uggla didn’t think it was routine.
“I was scrambling,” Uggla said. “I didn’t know where to go and then he just picked it and threw to first, no problem. I was like ‘Oh, man. I’m glad you stayed calm on that.’”
