Strasburg back to Hagerstown Monday

Stephen Strasburg will return to Hagerstown for yet another rehab start Monday night, Nationals manager Davey Johnson said today.

This will be Strasburg's fourth minor-league start on his road back from Tommy John surgery, his third for the low-Class A Suns. He made his 2011 debut in Hagerstown on August 7, allowing one run over 1 2/3 innings, then advanced to high-Class A Potomac on August 12, tossing three scoreless innings in a dominant performance.

Strasburg returned to Hagerstown last night for rehab start No. 3 and was roughed up by the Lexington Legends, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks and reaching hi maximum pitch count of 49 after only 1 2/3 innings.

Team officials, though, weren't concerned about Strasburg's poor numbers from this latest start, only that his surgically repaired arm felt strong. His velocity was similar to the two previous starts,
Read more