Strasburg suffers just second loss

Stephen Strasburg found his name in the loss column on Saturday for the first time since April.

It was just his second loss but cost him a chance to break Pedro Martinez's record  for win percentage in a season. The loss dropped Strasburg's win percentage from .950 (19-1) to .905 (19-2). On the bright side, he still can tie Martinez's record; if he wins his final two starts, Strasburg would finish with the same 21-2 mark (.913) that Martinez did in 2002.

Strasburg also will aim to be the first, and possibly only, 20-game winner in the DMBL this season when he returns to the mound on Wednesday in his penultimate start. The Floating Fish securely hold the No. 2 seed, about to clinch the Bonds Division, but entered Sunday's doubleheader 4 games back of Sardine City for No. 1 with 11 games left.

In what was probably his worst start of the year, Strasburg lasted just 3 innings on Saturday at El Paso, bombed for 8 hits and 6 runs (5 earned) but struck out 6 while tallying 75 pitches. The Fish staked him to a 3-0 lead as he took the mound but he gave it back before recording an out. El Paso banged out 6 runs in the first 3 innings and tacked on three more in the 6th for a 9-3 lead.

Hopatcong struck for 2 in the 7th and 8th innings each, coming within 9-7, which is how it ended. Had the Fish been able to come back and tie the game, Strasburg could have avoided the L with a no-decision, keeping his record at 19-1 (.950).

In his previous start, Strasburg improved to 19-1 with an efficient 4-1 win over San Francisco. He struck out 9 and walked 1 over 7 innings, yielding just 5 hits and 1 run for his league-leading 23rd quality start of the season.