Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper Embarrass Red Sox at Fenway Park

Stephen Strasburg dispatched 13 Red Sox hitters in six dominant innings of work Friday as the Nationals defeated Boston 7-4 at Fenway Park.

Strasburg’s two run, three hit performance occurred on the two year anniversary of his fanning 14 Pittsburgh Pirates hitters during his electrifying major league debut.  

So much for the intimidating mystique of Fenway Park; Strasburg looked like a man amongst a frustrated cadre of boys donned in red and white.

This 6’4” ironclad hurler established his mighty fastball early in the game. This in turn enabled Strasburg to unleash a knee-buckling arsenal of changeups and curveballs that devastated Boston’s hitters.

With the win, Strasburg goes to 7-1 with a 2.41 ERA. The 23-year-old has compiled 92 strikeouts to just 19 walks and a WHIP of 1.05 in 71 innings of work this season.

Not bad for a guy coming off Tommy John surgery.

Bryce Harper was by no means intimidated either, for the rookie phenom went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI.  

Through 36 games, Harper is batting .288 with six home runs and 17 RBI. He also has eight doubles and four triples. Harper’s OBP/SLG/OPS stat line is .367/.532/.899.

Danny Espinosa, Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond and Tyler Moore also achieved multi-hit games for the Nationals.

For the Red Sox, Mike Aviles went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI. Daniel Nava and Adrian Gonzalez also added a pair of hits.  

Felix Doubront took the loss for Boston. The second-year starter falls to 6-3 with a 4.34 ERA on the year.

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