Storen doesn’t make excuses for subpar outing

Nationals closer Drew Storen pitched the ninth inning on Thursday afternoon and was touched up for three runs in a 7-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Storen pitched two-thirds of an inning and had a tough time throwing strikes. Of the 25 pitches he threw, only 11 went for strikes. Manager Davey Johnson said a lack of action, not the rain, was at the root of Storen’s ineffectiveness. Since Aug. 22, Storen has appeared in just three games.

“He didn’t have good command today,” manager Davey Johnson said. “He has logged a lot of games. He is going to have some rough spots at times. This is his first full year. I can deal with that.”

Storen didn’t have any excuses as to why he didn’t pitch well.

“I just didn’t get it done. … I should be able to go out there and throw strikes,” he said.