ATLANTA (AP) -- On Atlanta's hottest day on record,
Mike Minor did enough to cool off Stephen Strasburg and the Washington
Nationals.
"He did, under tough conditions," Braves
manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "I think we took a step forward with him
today. He competed his butt off today."
Mike Minor
won for just the second time in 12 starts and Atlanta overcame
106-degree heat to beat the Nationals 7-5 on
Saturday.
The National Weather Service reported that
the temperature was one degree hotter than the previous high from
1980.
"I think today 80-some pitches might equal
about 140 the way the weather was," Gonzalez said. "For (Minor's) psyche
ad his confidence, I think we took a step forward today. He was a
bulldog today, didn't give it up."
Strasburg (9-3)
left after just three innings because of weather-related issues and had
three intravenous fluid treatments. He didn't return to begin the
fourth, tying for the shortest outing of his 33-start
career.
Braves officials reported no major health
problems among the announced crowd of 26,491. The team credited eight
free water stations at Turner Field with helping fans cool
off.
Strasburg allowed two hits, three runs and four
walks. Throwing 36 of his 67 pitches for strikes, Strasburg struck out
four to reach 122, most in the majors.
Strasburg took
extra time between pitches and walked slowly between innings. He hit an
RBI single and left trailing 3-2 after the Braves' three-run
third.
Nationals manager Davey Johnson came out of
the dugout after the third to tell home plate umpire Marvin Hudson that
Strasburg was leaving as Chien-Ming Wang jogged in from the
bullpen.
"Pretty scary, and he wasn't talking too
good," Johnson said. "I found out later he got a little dizzy out on the
mound. The problem was that he was totally dehydrated. I think the
doctor gave him, you know, three transfusions of saline, and he still
wasn't going to the bathroom."
The Nationals, who had
won 12 of Strasburg's 15 previous starts, trailed after Strasburg gave
up an RBI double to Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman's sacrifice fly and
Dan Uggla's RBI double.
Atlanta had lost four of six
and dropped 16 of 26 to Washington at home dating to October 2009, but
the Braves scored three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth off Wang
to take a 7-2 lead.
Strasburg lost consecutive
starts for the first time since June 2010, when Kansas City and Atlanta
beat him in the fourth and fifth starts of his career. His previous
shortest outing was Sept. 11, 2011, when he received no-decision at home
against Houston -- the second start he made after returning from elbow
surgery on Sept. 3, 2010.
Minor (4-6) had lost his
last two starts, allowing eight earned runs and four homers at the New
York Yankees and Boston. The left-hander was pulled for Kris Medlen with
no out in the sixth and runners on second and
third.
"It's just an up and down year for me," Minor
said. "I'm just trying to do my best every time I go out there and try
to give the team a chance to win and try to do my job at the plate.
Luckily, today I got a bunt down (in the fourth). That's been a struggle
for me, too."
Medlen gave up RBI singles to Tyler
Moore and Jesus Flores as the Nationals cut the lead to
7-4.
After the Nationals made it 7-5 in the seventh
on Adam LaRoche's RBI double, Chad Durbin replaced Medlen and walked two
before stranding the bases loaded on a grounder by
Flores.
Craig Kimbrel earned his 23rd save and
converted his 15th straight opportunity by retiring Ryan Zimmerman on a
groundout and striking out Michael Morse and LaRoche. Kimbrel was coming
off a rare loss in a non-save situation Thursday against Arizona that
ended his 17-game scoreless streak.
Washington led
1-0 in the first on Zimmerman's RBI
groundout.
Strasburg helped himself with an RBI
single in the second after a double by LaRoche.
In
the third, Strasburg walked Michael Bourn and Martin Prado before
Heyward doubled for Atlanta's first hit on Strasburg's 61st
pitch.
Minor stranded the bases loaded in the third
when Ian Desmond grounded into a double play and then retired six of the
next seven batters.
In the fourth, Wang gave up Juan
Francisco's RBI double, Bourn's RBI double and Prado's sacrifice fly.
In the fifth, Andrelton Simmons' RBI single made it
7-2.
For Minor, it was strange to see Strasburg
struggle. The two pitchers got to know each other in 2009 during the
major league draft when Washington took Strasburg No. 1 overall and the
Braves picked Minor at No. 7.
"He's got
top-of-the-line stuff," Minor said. "He's like Kimbrel being a starter,
with a change-up. He's just a dominant pitcher. For him to go down today
and get brought out early, it helped us out (getting to) their
bullpen."
Notes: Strasburg is 1-2
with a 6.28 ERA in three career starts at Turner Field. ... Minor's last
win was June 7 at Miami. ... Simmons had three hits. ... Bourn stole
two bases, giving him 22 this year.
