The Washington Nationals will have their ace on the mound for Wednesday’s all-important Game 4 of the NLDS, after all.
John Morosi of MLB Network is reporting that Stephen Strasburg is expected to start Game 4 against the Chicago Cubs after the team said Tuesday that they were sticking with Tanner Roark.
BREAKING: Stephen Strasburg now likely to start for #Nats today in Game 4, source says. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 11, 2017
You have to wonder if Strasburg is making the start due to pressure from the public, team, or both. On Wednesday morning, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo confirmed that Strasburg has been under the weather and said the right-hander “looked sick” on Monday. Rizzo seemed to rule out Strasburg pitching Game 4 when he said he hoped the 29-year-old could be ready to go for Game 5.
Strasburg was 15-4 with a 2.52 ERA this season. He’s the guy you want taking the mound in an elimination game, and it looked like the Nationals got lucky when Tuesday’s game was rained out. If Strasburg struggles early, manager Dusty Baker likely won’t hesitate to go to the bullpen.
