'Dads hand Strasburg loss in his latest rehab work

Hickory beats Hagerstown 3-1, stays in contention for Northern Division second-half title

By: Record Staff | Hickory Daily Record
Published: August 23, 2011

HAGERSTOWN, Md. --

The Hickory Crawdads faced a former No. 1 pick in the major league draft on Monday night and dealt him a loss.

Visiting Hickory beat Stephen Strasburg, the top pick in the 2009 draft by the Washington Nationals, 3-1 in a South Atlantic League game to stay on the heels of Kannapolis in the chase for the second-half Northern Division title.

Hickory (32-24), which plays at Hagerstown (30-26) again on Tuesday night, is two games back of Kannapolis (34-22) after the Intimidators nipped Augusta (Ga.) 3-2 in 12 innings on the road Monday night.

Strasburg, making his fourth rehab start in the minor leagues since having “Tommy John” surgery, pitched three innings before being replaced by reliever Shane McCarty as the Crawdads came to bat in the fourth.

Strasburg came out after allowing two hits and two runs (one earned) with one walk and six strikeouts.

He’s allowed seven earned runs with three walks and 18 strikeouts in 18 1/3 rehab innings at Hagerstown and Class A Potomac.

Strasburg is expected to make two more minor league starts, then return to the Nationals next month.

The Crawdads made themselves a memory by jumping on Strasburg to produce a run in the opening inning on Monday night.

Jurickson Profar was hit by a pitching in the first, stole second and scored on a single by Tomas Telis.

After Christian Villanueva walked, he stole second and Telis stole third but Strasburg struck out Jake Skole and got a groundball out by Alejandro Selen to end the inning.

Hickory made it 2-0 in the third. Odubel Herrera singled with one out and stole second.

He eventually scored on a throwing error by shortstop Jason Martinson, leaving Strasburg with a two-run deficit.

The Crawdads made it 3-0 in the fourth, scoring off McCarty. Selen doubled and stole third, then scored on Jonathan Roof’s sacrifice fly.

Will Lamb, making his second start since joining the Crawdads, got the win. The former Clemson pitcher went five innings, giving up one hit. He walked two and struck out six.

Hickory used four pitchers, with Francisco Mendoza picking up this fourth save by pitching a scoreless ninth and striking out three.

The Crawdads, who won a first-half Northern Division title to assure they’ll be in the playoffs early next month, are closing down on the final part of the SAL schedule.

After finishing a four-game series in Hagerstown, the Crawdads go to Lakewood, N.J., for five games that start with a Friday night game.

Hickory has Aug. 31 off, then comes home to play Greenville, S.C., in a five-game series that begins on Sept. 1.