Strasburg’s did for a different reason, because his results could very well mirror the team’s in 2019. Martinez leaned on a bat like a cane and watched as Strasburg fired 42 pitches into Kurt Suzuki’s catcher’s mitt. “So that’s a good sign.”After missing chunks of last season with shoulder and neck injuries, Strasburg’s fastball velocity dipped into the low-90s when he returned in mid-August. “I don’t know if he’s ever going to get back to the 97s, 98s, stuff like that,” Martinez said Friday. The 15-4 record and 175.1 innings pitched in 2017 was that pitcher the Nationals had always envisioned.

Source: Washington Post February 15, 2019 19:30 UTC