Washington @ Florida preview
Sun Life Stadium
Last Meeting ( May 9, 2010 ) Florida 2, Washington 3
Maybe Stephen Strasburg’s presence could have helped the All-Star game avoid its worst TV rating ever.
After all, he’s single-handedly packed stadiums every fifth day since arriving in the majors.
Strasburg should also help fill the normally vacant seats in Florida when the Washington Nationals look to end a two-game skid against the Marlins on Friday.
The first pick of the 2009 draft, Strasburg has been as good as advertised.
The 21-year-old phenom is averaging 8.7 strikeouts in seven starts and his 99 mph fastball, coupled with a devastating changeup and other-worldly curveball, has been nearly unhittable.
Strasburg (3-2, 2.32 ERA) was called up on June 8 and proceeded to set the major league record for strikeouts (41) in his first four starts.
Strasburg-mania has been in full effect since.
With it came the debate about whether or not he belonged on the National League All-Star roster after just a month in the majors. Many argued his presence would spur interest in the contest. Ultimately, he was left off the team.
But without Strasburg, Tuesday’s 81st Midsummer Classic received a 7.5 national rating – its lowest ever – causing members of the media to question the decision.
The attendance numbers for Strasburg’s starts suggest they may have had a valid point.
The right-hander’s last start against San Francisco at home helped nearly double the Nationals’ previous paid attendance for the previous night (34,723 from 17,364). It has been the same for road games.
And the Marlins certainly could use the added income, as Florida routinely ranks among the worst teams in terms of attendance.
Amazingly, the Marlins sold unused tickets from Roy Halladay’s perfect game earlier this season in an effort to inflate their paid attendance numbers.
Marlins fans may come to the park to get their first look at Strasburg, who bounced back from a sub-par outing by allowing one run and three hits in six innings of an 8-1 win over the Giants on Friday.
Strasburg will be opposed by Ricky Nolasco (9-6, 4.55), who has been pretty impressive as well recently. The right-hander is 4-0 with a 3.53 ERA in his last four outings.
Nolasco allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings of a 3-2 win over Arizona on Friday. He is 7-2 with a 4.37 ERA 12 games against Washington, but the Nationals rocked him for five runs and eight hits in four innings of a 7-1 win on April 30.
This will be the seventh meeting of the season. The teams have split the first six games.