Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg, who faces the Diamondbacks in Arizona on Tuesday, has been awful in the first inning but dominant after that, reports the Washington Post. Strasburg has a 9.00 ERA in the first inning and a 2.34 ERA from the second inning on. Opponents are batting .425 against him in the first.
The paper said Strasburg relies too heavily on fastballs in the first inning, failing to mix in enough curves and changeups. Strasburg also has been victimized by a high batting average on balls in play (.500) during the first inning.
Strasburg is 3-2 with a 3.42 ERA overall heading into his ninth start.