Solarte spoils Strasburg’s return
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Stephen Strasburg was one strike away from getting out of the first inning of his first start in almost a month when switch-hitter Yangervis Solarte drove a fastball into the right-field seats for a two-run home run.
That was enough to carry th.
“You wouldn’t even know he had been out,” Baker said. “He just made that mistake in the first inning when he got the ball over the plate a little bit for the home run. But other than that, he threw the ball great today.
“Everything was working for him. I hate to lose a game like that because he threw the ball so well. But we hit some balls on the nose and we just couldn’t find the holes off Woody (Travis Wood). You can’t guide it and they made some fine defensive plays.”
Said Padres manager Andy Green: “We didn’t threaten much against him the rest of the way. Pirela had two good swings on heaters away and Solarte the home run. Outside of that, nothing was barreled up. He was really good.”
Pirela had two singles off Strasburg.
While Strasburg pitched well, the Nationals had only three hits.
San Diego’s Wood (21) also settled down after laboring through the first inning, when he threw 35 pitches to five batters but didn’t allow a run. He was unscathed until the fifth, when he allowed a one-out single to Jose Lobaton and a two-out double to Adrian Sanchez. The run was unearned because of Woods’ throwing error on Strasburg’s sacrifice bunt that advanced Lobaton.
With two outs in the first, Wood walked Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman, with both batters fouling off several pitches. He then got Howie Kendrick to fly out.
“He was good in the first inning,” Green said. “Just an unbelievable set of circumstances. Four batters into the game and he has 30-some pitches. I’ve never seen that. After that inning he cruised for the most part.”
Wood allowed just the unearned run on three hits in seven innings, with two strikeouts and two walks.
“The first was a battle,” he said. “They fouled off a lot of good pitches. But I felt good in that inning. I just stayed locked in. They were swinging early and I was getting some weak contact. The defense tonight was unbelievable.”
Brad Hand pitched the ninth for his 11th save.
TRADER JACK HONORED
Former general manager Jack McKeon was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame before the game. Known as “Trader Jack” for his penchant for wheeling and dealing, he made a multitude of deals that lead to the team’s NL pennant in 1984.
He drafted Tony Gwynn and Kevin McReynolds, and traded for Garry Templeton, Terry Kennedy, Graig Nettles, Carmelo Martinez and Dave Dravecky. McKeon also signed Steve Garvey and Goose Gossage as free agents. TRAINER’S ROOM Nationals: Strasburg took the roster spot of RHP Max Scherzer, who went on the DL Friday night, retroactive to Tuesday, with inflammation in his neck.
UP NEXT Nationals: LHP Gio Gonzalez (11-5, 2.49 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale. He has won his last three starts and four of his last five.