Stephen Strasburg: Fire Down Below

Stephen Strasburg certainly did not seem like his normal, overpowering self in Tuesday afternoon's loss to the San Diego Padres. He was knocked out of the game after giving up four runs in four innings and seemed out of sorts against the normally light-hitting Padres. Well, it turns out there may have been a good reason for him looking uncomfortable.

Following the loss, Nationals manager Davey Johnson freely offered some information regarding Strasburg and seemed unusually coy in doing so:

An unusual postgame revelation: Davey volunteered that Strasburg got "hot stuff" in "the wrong place" and "I don't know how it got there."

— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) May 15, 2012

"Look, all I'm saying is that it was in the wrong place. Who knows how it got there? I don't!"

In case you're having difficulty reading between the lines, Mark Zuckerman of CSN Washington helpfully lays it all out for you:

The insinuation from Davey: Somebody put something like Icy-Hot on Strasburg in a place it shouldn't have been before game.

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) May 15, 2012

In a place it shouldn't have been. You know. AH-HEM.

I don't know what weenies thought this prank would be a good idea, but it seems like they pulled a boner this time. The Nationals' bats were limp behind Strasburg's premature departure, and the end result was embarrassing for all involved. What a bunch of ding-a-lings.

The Nationals already offer a monstrous ballpark concession called "The Strasburger," but perhaps after this incident they'll also need to add "Burnt Wieners" to their hot dog stands.

For all news and information regarding the Washington Nationals, please visit Federal Baseball.