Strasburg suffered his first career loss to the Giants

Matt Duffy and Buster Posey hit RBI singles in the bottom http://www.authenticspursshop.com/authentic-20-manu-ginobili-jersey.html of the first against Stephen Strasburg (6-6) for the defending champions to kick off a key four-game series in a rematch of last fall's NL division series won in four games by the Giants. Strasburg, in his second start off the disabled list, suffered his first career loss to the Giants.
San Francisco answered right back after Yunel Escobar hit the game's first pitch for a home run, Ryan Vogelsong settled in to win for the first time in more than seven weeks, and the Giants beat the Washington Nationals 3-1 on Thursday night.
Nationals manager Matt Williams was delayed Thunder Kevin Durant Jersey getting to the field for batting practice after home run king Barry Bonds paid his former teammate a visit in the clubhouse and stayed more than a half-hour.
Strasburg was handed his first career loss at AT&T Park, where he had been 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three previous starts. He kept alive his streak of never surrendering more than two earned runs while striking out at least seven in each of his four outings at the Giants' waterfront ballpark.
The Nationals were coming off consecutive shutouts by NL West-leading Los Angeles and arrived into the Bay Area about 2 a.m. after a night game at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.
Strasburg returned to the starting rotation with a bang, striking out 12 in seven innings and contributing three hits as the Nationals beat the Colorado Rockies 6-1
''It was top-shelf stuff, and his stuff was very crisp tonight, and he was in complete control, really,'' Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. ''You know he is going to be tough to score off of. He looked like an elite guy, like he's been.''
The right-hander Marc Gasol Elite Jersey had been on the disabled list since a left oblique strain forced him out after 3 2-3 innings against the San Francisco Giants on July 4. He went to the disabled list for the second time this season before being reinstated Saturday. He allowed one run and three hits.
Strasburg said he wants to help the Nationals in their battle for the NL East title and a possible playoff spot and is glad to be back. He's struggled often this season with injuries and other issues but looked like his old self in this game.
''I'm just trying to go out there and do everything I can to help them win some ballgames,'' Strasburg said. ''It's definitely been an up and down year, and it's been a huge learning experience, so I'm excited to have another opportunity. ''
Strasburg often combined a high-90's fastball with a nasty curve and changeup to shut down the Rockies (46-62). Charlie Blackmon got the other two hits off Strasburg, both doubles, but even he struck out once.
Strasburg (6-5) didn't walk a batter and looked sharp from the start against a Colorado team that came into the game leading the National League with a .273 average.
He struck out two in the second and third innings before striking out the side in the fourth around a solo homer by Nolan Arenado.
Strasburg recorded a 6.55 ERA in his first 10 starts with the Nationals losing seven times before going to the DL on May 30 due to neck tightness. At the time of his injury, his ERA was the second-highest among the 116 pitchers with at least 45 innings thrown.
A five-week stint on the DL seemed to work wonders as he came off pitching like an All-Star.
The right-hander posted a 1.50 ERA with 15 strikeouts over 12 innings in winning his first two starts and was again pitching well in his third. He had allowed one hit over 3 2-3 scoreless innings against San Francisco on July 4 before hurting his side. He went on the DL the next day with a strained left oblique.
Strasburg was getting knocked around before his first injury, as opponents had a .497 slugging http://www.officialpistonsshop.com/authentic-1-allen-iverson-jersey.html percentage, and struck out 20.7 percent of the batters he faced. The top pick of the 2009 draft was once again overpowering batters after coming off the DL, striking out 30.0 percent of hitters and holding batters to a .232 slugging percentage.