Strasburg settles in after rocky first two innings

By Bill Ladson

May 1, 2015

NEW YORK -- It looked like it was going to be a short night for Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg on Thursday against the Mets at Citi Field. After two innings, Strasburg threw 51 pitches and allowed two runs.

But he started dealing after that and ended up getting the victory as the Nationals defeated the Mets, 8-2. Starting with the third out in the second inning, Strasburg retired 10 consecutive batters and struck out five. Strasburg left the game in the sixth inning after throwing 100 pitches.

What changed for Strasburg after the second inning? He stopped being predictable.

"I tried to get them off-balance," Strasburg said. "It seemed like they were on the same page as me, so [catcher Wilson Ramos] and I had to make an adjustment. Willie called a great game. The offense came through again."

Strasburg went 2-2 with a 4.60 ERA in April. He expects to be even better the rest of the way.

"Sometimes April is very bizarre for a lot of players -- myself included," Strasburg said. "I know that over the course of the season, it's going to work itself out. The more times I get out there, I'm turning in the right direction."

Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, All Nats All the Time. He also can be found on Twitter @WashingNats.