Stephen Strasburg's first second-half start is still being decided

The Nationals are still deliberating as to when Stephen Strasburg will make his first start of the second half of the season. Manager Jim Riggleman and General Manager Mike Rizzo discussed Strasburg's schedule yesterday and came up with two scenarios. One would have him pitching in Florida against the Marlins in the first series after the all-star break. The second scenario would have Strasburg pitching in Cincinnati in the following series.

In determing the rest of his schedule, the Nationals will need to keep Strasburg under his prescribed 160-inning limit. So far, between the minors and majors, Strasburg has pitched 92 innings and, in the majors, has averaged just more than six innings per start. If Strasburg averages 6 1/3 innings per start from here on out, he'll make 10 more starts, nine coming in the season's second half.

"No matter how you mix it up, the innings will probably be eaten by sometime in early September," Riggleman said.

The Nationals may hold him back an extra day or two between starts in order to stretch his innings to later in the season. That would involve extra throwing between those starts, but nothing major.

"He would either throw two light sessions in between some starts or just wait longer between sessions," Riggleman said. "We're less concerned right now about him pitching through September. He'll have 160 in him total, something in that area."