Off to slow start in 2015, Nationals now lose Strasburg to injury

Are the Washington Nationals experiencing a World Series-favorites curse? The preseason championship favorites, according to oddsmakers, are off to a rough start in 2015. They won just 10 games in April and sit in fourth place in the surprisingly-tough National League East.

But things were starting to look up. They won three-of-four games against the first-place New York Mets over the weekend and won six-of-seven heading into Tuesday’s game against the Miami Marlins before hitting another snag. Stephen Strasburg, their 26-year-old ace, left the game with a shoulder injury after pitching just three innings. It’s not sure how serious the injury is, so don’t panic yet, Nationals fans. Matt Zuckerman of Comcast SportsNet has more details:

Strasburg, of course, has a concerning injury history. After being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, Strasburg had his first two seasons derailed by Tommy John surgery. He made 12 starts in 2010 and just five in 2011. He returned full-time in 2012 but even then was shutdown before the playoffs began. He has made 30-plus starts in each of the last two seasons and last year pitched a career-high 215 innings.

So while it’s comforting to know this injury apparently has nothing to do with his elbow, the Nationals are right to play it safe. They are already playing without reliever Casey Janssen, outfielders Reed Johnson and Nate McLouth, and most significantly, infielder Anthony Rendon.

The Nationals are already in a hole early on, and if they’re going to get out of it they’ll need Strasburg to take the mound every fifth day, and return to the form that made him an All-Star and one of the most hyped prospects of the decade.

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Ian Denomme is an editor and writer for Yahoo Sports. Email him at denomme@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter.