Washington Nationals Put Stephen Strasburg on Disabled List

Stephen Strasburg the starting pitcher for the Washington Nationals was placed on the 15-day DL with soreness in his elbow.

Through August 1, Strasburg had a record of 15-1 with an ERA of 2.63. Over his past three starts, the Nationals pitcher is 0-3 with an ERA of 14.66. His velocity has not diminished much, but he has been hit hard by opposing batters.

It is true one of the starts was at Coors Field but in each of the three, he was hit hard. The question on the minds of some is whether the elbow was bothering him during those three starts.

During 2010, Strasburg tore his ulnar collateral ligament on the right elbow, which forced the pitcher to have Tommy John surgery.

He missed most of the following season and then during 2012 had a very successful season. Since coming back from the surgery, Strasburg has not suffered any elbow issues, until now.

It appears from what the Nationals have said, they are being cautious with their star pitcher, as the injury has been called inflammation and nothing structural. That means it could be a short-term recovery and the pitcher could return for the final three weeks of the regular season.

Even though Strasburg was very important to the Nationals rotation, the club is strong enough and has depth to be able to absorb his loss for 15 days.

With starters like Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark the Nationals are still very strong. Add Reynaldo Lopez, who has four starts, with the past two very good, and the team can get by for now without Strasburg.

A.J. Cole will step into Strasburg’s spot in the rotation. Cole is 8-8 with an ERA of 4.26 in 22 starts in Triple-A.

Washington also has the advantage of an 8 1/2-game lead in the National League East with only 39 games left in the regular season.

If Washington goes just 19-20 the remainder of this season, they will be 92-70 on the season. For Miami to catch them, the Marlins would have to go 27-11.

However, looking forward to the postseason, if Strasburg is able to return, and pitches to his prior form, the Nationals could have a very imposing threesome of Strasburg, Scherzer and Roark.

However, if he cannot, they have Lopez, Cole or Gonzalez then things will not look to good.