SAN DIEGO _ After a three-week layoff, Stephen Strasburg displayed few signs of rust. The former San Diego State star appeared fully recovered from an elbow impingement. For the most part, he mowed through the opposing lineup. His return from the disabled list and his third career appearance at Petco Park qualified as a success.
In other words, the home team received only slivers of opportunity.
The Padres did enough in Saturday's 3-1 victory over the Washington Nationals. Strasburg made one of his few mistakes in the bottom of the first, and Yangervis Solarte punished him with a two-run homer. Travis Wood rebounded from issuing consecutive walks in the top of the inning. The left-hander completed seven innings in a game for the first time since April 28, 2015.
Wood, a reliever for most of the last two years, does not wield Strasburg's overpowering arsenal, but the veteran outdueled his younger counterpart. Wood permitted only an unearned run on three hits. He did not allow another walk. After throwing 36 pitches in the first, he used 65 to navigate the next six innings.
The 30-year-old continued to distance himself from a career-worst stint with Kansas City. Before a late-July trade to San Diego, Wood posted a 6.91 ERA over 28 appearances with the Royals. Through five starts for the Padres, he has recorded a much more serviceable mark of 4.18.
Strasburg did not allow another run after Solarte's clout, which followed a two-out single by Jose Pirela. He yielded only two more hits, and struck out eight batters over six innings.
The pitcher reached on a fifth-inning sacrifice when Wood's throw pulled Carlos Asuaje off the first-base bag. With two outs, Adrian Sanchez doubled to drive in the Nationals' lone run.
The Padres loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh. They wasted a prime opportunity, coming away with only one run, scored as Austin Hedges grounded into a double play.
A lockdown performance ensured they did not pay for it. Kirby Yates struck out the side in the top of the eighth. Brad Hand retired the side in the closing inning.
