Nationals' Storen knocked around in Harrisburg rehab appearance

By Byron Kerr

Nationals

July 15, 2012, 1:03pm

Comments

Nationals closer Drew Storen continued his rehab from elbow surgery with an appearance for Double-A Harrisburg and did not have his best stuff. With the Senators leading 4-1 in the seventh, Storen surrendered four runs on three hits to Richmond, including a solo homer that lost the lead. Richmond's Johnny Monell cranked a solo shot, No. 8 on the season, with two outs in the seventh off of Storen to give the Flying Squirrels a 5-4 lead. Storen also allowed a single, a triple and a sacrifice fly in just two-thirds of an inning. He faced six hitters. Storen threw 20 pitches with 12 strikes. Marcos Frias relieved Storen to get the final out of the seventh, but the damage was done. Results are not the most important aspect of these rehab assignments, but it will be interesting to see how this outing affects Storen and his next move this week. He could be activated when the Nationals return to D.C. for their homestand against the Mets and Braves, but it depends on how his body reacts to another outing and his adjustments to the four-run barrage he endured Sunday.