Duke in the MLB: Stroman stays consistent on the mound, readies for new challenge at the plate

Toronto Blue Jay Marcus Stroman continued his impressive season with another strong outing this week.

Stroman fanned eight batters and surrendered two runs on eight hits in seven innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday. The 5-foot-8 right-hander's ERA improved to 3.60, but he did not earn the win because the Blue Jays and Dodgers remained tied when he left the mound.

Stroman started strong, holding Los Angeles scoreless through the first six innings. Although he scattered five singles during that period, the Blue Jays’ ace registered timely strikeouts and relied on the defense behind him to quell Dodger threats. 

But after Toronto took a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning, Los Angeles quickly responded in the seventh with two runs. Stroman retired the first two batters of the frame with a groundout and a strikeout, but Joc Peterson and Carl Crawford hit back-to-back doubles and Chase Utley singled to tie the game before the Blue Jays recorded the final out.

With his pitch count at 106, Stroman did not return to the mound to begin the eighth, but Toronto won 5-2 after Kevin Pillar drilled a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.

Stroman stayed active the first day after his start, showing off some power from the plate during batting practice before the Blue Jays' game Saturday. The Medford, N.Y., native will have to hit for the first time in his major league career during his next start in Wednesday in San Francisco in an interleague matchup against the Giants. Since they will be the home team, the game will be played without a designated hitter per National League rules.

.@MStrooo6 in the cage pic.twitter.com/rifvjtl5hx

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 7, 2016

Stroman will travel straight from San Francisco to Durham to be at Duke’s commencement ceremony this weekend to receive his undergraduate diploma, the Canadian Press reported. The former Blue Devil—who left Duke after his junior year—finished his degree by taking classes on campus last summer while rehabbing from a torn ACL in his left knee.

Duke’s other alumnus in the MLB, Chris Capuano, bounced back from two poor outings last week. After surrendering a run in each of two appearances April 28 and April 30, the Milwaukee Brewer reliever recorded five strikeouts and allowed no runs in two innings against the Cincinnati Reds Thursday. Three days later, Capuano—whose ERA has decreased to 3.71—earned his first win of the season, giving up just one hit and no runs against the Reds in the seventh inning of a tie game.