Stephen Strasburg was sent to the minor leagues on Saturday by the Washington Nationals, who told baseball's top pitching prospect he needed to slow down his delivery from the stretch in order to speed up his arrival in the majors.
"I'm not a believer that a player can come from amateur baseball and step right into the major leagues," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said. "I've seen terrific prospects attempt it, and the failure rate is too great. This is a prized asset."
The Nationals optioned the 21-year-old Strasburg, the top overall pick in June's draft, to Class AA Harrisburg. Easily the best pitcher in spring training for Washington, Strasburg got the news when he reported to Space Coast Stadium the morning after his most impressive spring outing.
He struck out eight St. Louis batters in four innings Friday night in his third spring start. Strasburg, who signed a record $15.1 million contract in August, allowed two first-inning home runs, then settled down and took command.
"It's all about confidence -- confidence in the pitches, confidence going out there That's the bottom line," Strasburg said after clearing out his locker and packing his equipment bag. "The knock that people have on me is that I don't have experience and you're only going to get experience with time."
Displaying a fastball that reached 98 mph and a slider-curve hybrid that hitters had trouble reading out of his hand, Strasburg went 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA, allowed eight hits, walked one and struck out 12 in nine innings.
"What he did out there just verified what everybody had been saying. ... He did everything you wanted him to do. I don't think camp could have gone any better for him," manager Jim Riggleman said.
The only flaw the Nationals saw was Strasburg's propensity to rush his delivery out of the stretch. Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland said after watching Strasburg that the right-hander's velocity dropped several miles an hour when he had runners on base, making it easier for hitters to catch up to his fastball.
"If they tell me what to do, I'm going to do it," Strasburg said. "Sometimes it won't make sense, but more times than not, it's going to work out in the long run."
If he stays on his current pitching schedule, Strasburg would be in line to start Harrisburg's Eastern League opener April 8 at Altoona. Rizzo wouldn't rule out summoning Strasburg to pitch April 3, when Washington hosts the Boston Red Sox in an exhibition game at Nationals Park.
When Strasburg will make his big league debut remains to be seen. The Nationals led the majors with 103 losses last season.
Wood sidelined: Kerry Wood went one full season in Cleveland without making a trip to the disabled list. He won't make it two.
The Indians' closer, with a long history of injuries and surgeries, could miss two months with a strained muscle in his upper back, an injury that was not initially believed to be serious. Trainer Lonnie Soloff said Saturday that an MRI exam on Wood revealed a "moderate" strain. He said Wood will be out a minimum of six weeks.
While Wood is sidelined, right-hander Chris Perez will take over as Cleveland's closer.
Wood felt soreness after throwing one inning in an exhibition game on March 10. He was scratched from his next scheduled appearance three days later, and the Indians continued to insist that there was nothing to worry about with the 32-year-old righty.
But when the soreness lingered, the team decided to have Wood undergo further tests. He has been placed on the DL 12 times in his career. He's about to make it 13.
Soloff said Wood, who had 20 saves in 26 chances last season, did not injure himself on one pitch, but rather it was "an attritional thing over time." Soloff said Wood has had soreness in the muscle during spring training for the past four or five years.
Navarro injures leg: Tampa Bay Rays catcher Dioner Navarro sustained what the team called a nerve contusion in his left leg during a home-plate collision.
Navarro, who was hurt when he tagged out Minnesota's Jacque Jones in the fourth inning of Saturday's 6-2 loss, was taken in an ambulance to a local clinic for X-rays, which came back negative.
Seay sidelined: Tigers reliever Bobby Seay will not be on the active roster when Detroit opens the regular season at Kansas City on April 5.
Tigers' manager Jim Leyland said Seay has had a setback and can't throw, but didn't provide details.
The 31-year-old left-hander has been hampered by a left biceps injury and has not pitched in a spring training game. Seay had career highs with six victories and 67 appearances last season, which he began with 10 scoreless outings in April.
