The Washington Nationals (33-23) received huge contributions from their young superstars in a win at Fenway Park on Friday night, and on Saturday they hope their prized off-season acquisition can continue his dominant ways.
Stephen Strasburg struck out 13 Boston (29-29) batters Friday night,and Bryce Harper went three for five with a home run as Washington defeated the Red Sox 7-4. Lefty Gio Gonzalez (7-2, 2.31 ERA) will take the mound on Saturday for the Nationals, looking to notch his eight win this season. Gonzalez has a 1.87 ERA in his last 10 starts, despite struggling against Atlanta last time out, allowing three runs in just 4 2/3 innings of work. He still leads all major league starters this year with a .172 opponent batting average and is second with 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
For the Red Sox, Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his return to the major leagues on Saturday following Tommy John surgery. Matsuzaka was 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA in seven starts (eight appearances) before his injury last year.
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