Account
Stephen Strasburg Says Argument with Max Scherzer Is 'Part of Family'
July 21, 2018
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg downplayed an argument he had with Max Scherzer in the dugout following a rough outing against the Atlanta Braves on Friday.
As seen in the following video courtesy of SportsCenter, Scherzer patted Strasburg on the back after he was lifted from an 8-5 loss, and a heated discussion ensued:
With regard to the incident, Strasburg told ESPN.com's Eddie Matz, "It's part of family, man. You got to be in the family."
When pressed further on the situation, Strasburg responded, "You've got to be in the family. You're not."
Strasburg lasted just 4.2 innings Friday, surrendering eight hits, two walks and six earned runs, while striking out six.
He was taken out of the game in the fifth after allowing three runs in the inning.
The 29-year-old righty has had an inconsistent season, as he is 6-7 with a 3.90 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 101 strikeouts in 85.1 innings.
Strasburg is a three-time All-Star, and he won 15 games last season with a 2.52 ERA.
Nats manager Davey Martinez didn't get into specifics regarding the argument, but he said after the game that things were hashed out:
"We had a really good conversation, I'll just say that. It was addressed. Look, they're very competitive. Everybody is. I'm glad we talked. It's over. Let's move forward. These guys are professionals. We're good. I'm good that we had the conversation. This stuff happens. I've been on teams where guys wanted to choke each other. It's a long season. They get it. They understand. We talk about it. I don't want to lose sleep about it. It was a really good conversation. I'll just leave it at that. Things are good."
While Martinez may believe things are good between Strasburg and Scherzer, the same can't be said for the team as a whole.
Following Friday's loss, Washington is now 48-49, and it trails the Philadelphia Phillies by 6.5 games for the NL East lead.
The Nationals are also six games out of a wild-card spot, meaning their two-year playoff streak is in danger of coming to an end.