Stephen Strasburg retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced Thursday afternoon in the rubber match between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished with 10 strikeouts over six innings but by the time he found a rhythm, it was too late.
It marked the eighth time this season that Strasburg had at least 10 strikeouts in a start. But for the first time in 18 starts this season, Strasburg suffered a loss. What’s more, the defeat snapped his 16-game winning streak — a franchise record.
Washington is now 16-2 in games started by their right-handed ace. Strasburg’s last loss prior to Thursday came to the New York Mets on Sept. 9, 2015. His stretch of 21 starts without taking a loss was the 12th-longest such streak since 1912.
Strasburg was the eighth pitcher in Major League Baseball history to begin a season at least 13-0. He was the first to accomplish the feat since Max Scherzer began the 2013 season 13-0 for the Detroit Tigers.
The 28-year-old Strasburg was largely done in by Justin Turner, who became just the second player to have a multi-home run game against the right-handed ace. Turner’s big day began in the first inning when he crushed a hanging slider for a two-run blast.
He then was given the green light on a 3-0 pitch in the fourth and hit a three-run homer. It was the third time this season the first overall pick from the 2009 Draft allowed two home runs in a start.
Entering the rubber match with the Dodgers, Strasburg had given up a combined five hits and two runs over his last two starts. Los Angeles had seven hits and tagged him for a season-high six runs.
