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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

MLB notes: Stephen Strasburg gets Game 1 start against Giants

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Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg’s postseason debut will come in Game 1 of the N.L. division series against visiting San Francisco tonight.

It’s not much of a surprise: Strasburg was the team’s opening-day starter and he’s been much better at home than away.

In 18 starts at Nationals Park this season, Strasburg went 9-3 with a 2.56 ERA. In 16 road starts, he was 5-8 with a 3.82 ERA.

Strasburg was held out of the 2012 playoffs by the Nationals to protect his surgically repaired right elbow.

Gonzales makes roster

Former Gonzaga pitcher Marco Gonzales was one of 12 pitchers to make the St. Louis Cardinals’ 25-player roster for the N.L. division series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Veterans Jason Motte, Mark Ellis and A.J. Pierzynski were left off the roster. The Dodgers have yet to release their roster for the series.

Clearing the bases

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun underwent a medical procedure to address a nerve problem near his right thumb. Braun is to meet with doctors again Monday; if Braun responds well to the treatment, he will begin swinging a bat to determine the procedure’s effect on his swing and pain tolerance. … The New York Mets will replace hitting coach Lamar Johnson and assistant hitting coach Luis Natera. They have been offered jobs in the Mets’ minor league system, according to the team. Johnson became hitting coach when Dave Hudgens was fired on May 26, and Natera filled the new position of assistant on March 24. … San Francisco’s rout of Pittsburgh drew the highest television rating in the brief history of baseball’s wild-card games. San Francisco’s 8-0 win Wednesday on ESPN averaged a 3.6 rating despite the lopsided score. The nearly 5.6 million viewers are up from the 4.7 million for last year’s A.L. wild-card game on the same day, Tampa Bay’s 4-0 win over Cleveland.