Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg took a loss in his return to action Sunday against the Indians. Strasburg (3-6), who was activated off the 15-day disabled list prior to Sunday's game after being sidelined with a lat strain, allowed one run in five innings, but he was outpitched by Corey Kluber, who tossed eight scoreless innings in a 2-0 win for Cleveland.
"I felt really good and definitely could have gone for a few more innings, but they didn't want me to," Strasburg said. "It was good to be out there after two weeks."
Strasburg had some command issues, walking four batters, including two of the first three batters he faced in the game. He finished with four strikeouts and allowed one hit, as he lost for the first time in five starts. Strasburg, however, hasn't allowed more than one earned run in six straight starts.
"He was a little bit rusty and didn't have his command, but I thought he settled in pretty well," Washington manager Davey Johnson said. "He had a maximum of 80 (pitches)."
The right-hander is slated to make his next start Friday against the Rockies. Strasburg is 0-2 with a 3.75 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in two career starts (both in 2012) against Colorado.