Suspension Predictions and Strasburg Surgery Day

It is a fateful day for NatsTown for several reasons today. First, it's Strasburg Tommy John surgery day. Good luck to Stephen in a long, stressful recovery. We all look forward to seeing you again soon... ish.

Also today, MLB is expected to lay down the suspensions for Wednesday's ugly Nationals/Marlins brawl. While I have no insight into the inner workings of the MLB disciplinary office, I thought I would take the time to predict some of the suspensions that would be handed down in bullet points, so here we go:

• Nyjer Morgan - Season - He's already facing a 7 game suspension for an incident in Philadelphia. The league says they won't weigh other incidents when considering Nyjer's discipline. That can't possibly be true. Nyjer has shown signs of disregard for the safety of other players and fans. He taunted fans on the way off the field after the brawl. The league is fed up with Nyjer Morgan stories in the playoff hunt, and they want it over with.

• Chris Volstad - 10 games - Volstad threw at Nyjer twice in one game. MLB doesn't look upon that kind of thing kindly, even if it may have been warranted. It's equivalent to two of Volstad's starts.

• Gaby Sanchez - 5 games - By now, everyone has seen Sanchez, a rookie, absolutely wreck Nyjer after he jumped and punched Volstad. Sanchez was the 3rd guy into the battle, and with the severity of the clotheslined hit, I think he'll get a work week off.

• Doug Slaten - 1 game - Slaten hit Gaby Sanchez to retaliate for his hit on Nyjer. You have to imagine that he gets some time to think about what he's done. No more than a game or two, though.

• Edwin Rodriguez - 1 game - Pitchers don't usually throw at guys without some encouragement from the manager. Volstad threw at Nyjer twice, so it will be a game off for Rodriguez. Maybe two.

• Jim Riggleman - 1 game - Same as Rodriguez, since Doug Slaten hit Sanchez.

• Pat Listach - 1 game - This is a stretch, and I'm not sure that he will actually get suspended, but I think with the image of Listach on top of Chris Volstad at the bottom of the pile is pretty damning. You never want to see a coach IN the pile. He'll probably get something.

I'm taking a leap here, and I look forward to seeing how accurate I am. I'd love to hear all of your predictions in the comments section and will try to respond to them throughout the day.

With Strasburg Done, Who Becomes Number 1?

As everyone on the planet now knows, Stephen Strasburg's rookie year came to an abrupt end on Friday, when it was announced that the phenom would require Tommy John surgery to replace a "significant" ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow, according to Nats GM Mike Rizzo. Strasburg will likely miss most, if not all, of 2011 as well.

According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, Strasburg knew Thursday night of the surgery, but didn't want to ruin Bryce Harper's welcome party to Nationals Park. Ironically, Thursday was also RHP Jordan Zimmermann's return to the 25 man roster from 13 months off. He was recovering from an ulnar collateral ligament tear... and the resulting Tommy John surgery. Gain one frontline young starter, lose one the same day. The Nationals just can't seem to catch a break.

So now with Strasburg done for the foreseeable and distant future, let's jump way, way ahead. Who starts Opening Day 2011?

Strasburg was the obvious choice. He would have guaranteed a sellout, would have all but guaranteed a good outing, and given the chance for the Nats to win on Opening Day. But now, who do the Nats call? Here are my thoughts, in order of plausibility, of people already in the organization.

1. Jordan Zimmermann - Although JZimm's outing on Thursday was lackluster (he gave up Albert Pujols' 400th career homer, pitched just 4 innings, and gave up 5 earned runs), he's still the future #2 starter for the organization. Stands to reason, if the #1 guy is hurt, he should be bumped up. He still throws in the mid-90s and has a killer breaking ball and change up. He has time to prepare for this role over the next few weeks and during the offseason.
   
2. Jason Marquis - Marquis was brought on to be a solid #3 guy to eat innings. We all know how that turned out. In each of his last two starts, though, Marquis has given up just 1 run on 4 hits. He's yet to nail a win, but he's also yet to get any form of run support since his return. He's a proven All-Star, and could be getting back to form. He's not out of the question as a "let's have a veteran start the season" move.
   
3. Livan Hernandez - Livan has to be last on this list, mostly because he's not under contract for next season. The Nats picked him up for a scant $900,000 as a Spring Training invitee this season, and he's been simply brilliant. The Nats have lost his last 4 starts, but in 3 of those 4 games, Livan didn't get more than 2 runs of support. In one, the Nats were shut out. But Livo still sports a 3.36 ERA, and despite a misleading 8-9 record, he has a legitimate possibility to recreate Opening Day 2005 and be on the mound for the Nats to start 2011.
   

As a brief aside, I find myself continuing to question the Nationals training staff in their inability to keep players healthy. The Strasburg injury was probably 22 years in the works. You can only throw that hard for so long before something explodes. But the revolving door of injured pitchers in the organization is simply staggering, and I feel uncommon in the era of modern medicine.

But I digress. The 3 pitchers listed above are all solid guys and quality pitchers when they're having their best days. One thing is for sure, none of them even approach the excitement of Strasburg, and it will be interesting to see how the Nationals recover financially with no Strasburg attendance boosts next year. NatsTown 2011 will look very different than anyone would have thought.

Strasburg's Second Injury

Only two starts have passed since Stephen Strasburg missed 2 weeks with shoulder inflammation. In Saturday's game, Strasburg was throwing a 2-1 pitch to the Phillies rookie outfielder Dominic Brown. He followed through, and clutched his arm. One of the most horrifying sights a Nationals fan could possibly see.

Strasburg immediately went to the clubhouse; pitching coach Steve McCatty slammed the door the bullpen phone in frustration. The Nationals bullpen of Stammen, Slaten, Clippard, and Batista effectively shut down the potent Phillies offense with Ryan Howard back at 1st base. Before being pulled after 4 1/3 innings, Strasburg had struck out 6 batters, giving up only 1 run on 2 hits, and throwing just 56 pitches.

After the game, Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.com reported that Strasburg strained his flexor tendon in his right (throwing) forearm with an MRI coming tomorrow.

As much as no one wants to admit it, replacing Strasburg will be pretty easy to end the season. Yesterday, RHP Jordan Zimmermann threw 5 innings of great baseball in Syracuse, likely ending his rehab. Many thought that Zimmermann would be replacing Jason Marquis, who had been struggling, but Marquis had a passable outing on Friday night (once it becomes more than an anomaly, I'll call the outings good), and has probably earned at least one more start considering he's being paid $7.5 million to be a starter, not hang out in the minors/bullpen.

I'll try to post more tomorrow after Strasburg's MRI in DC...

Strasburg, protests, and a series win

( All photos by Joe Drugan for Capitol Baseball)

Well, Capitol Baseball is (basically) here to say through the rest of the season minus two weekend trips in a few weeks. Sorry for the extended delay for today's post. I had internet connectivity issues and a system upgrade today. So let's start this last 43 game stretch talking about.... Stephen Strasburg.

Strasburg returned to the mound for the Nationals on Sunday for the second time since returning from the disabled list, and let me tell you, it was a world of difference. Strasburg was hitting his pitches, mixing in his change up regularly, and blowing Diamondbacks away, tallying 7 strikeouts. He committed an error on a throw to first that ultimately cost him 2 unearned runs, but he ended up with a no decision in 5 innings. Tyler Clippard swooped in with 3 strikeouts of his own over 2 innings to earn the win.

SS almost ended up coming out for the 6th inning, until this happened:

This view from the top shows security guards (in white shirts) with on-the-field protesters. Most of the people in Section 409 were yelling things like, "Taze them, bro!" and "Tackle that $%#@" well, you get the idea. You hate to see people run on the field to disrupt the game, but it was nice to see a semi-competent reaction from on-field security. (Fan on field at an Orioles game with the most depressing security display ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffWxVvHLwXM)

Finally, before the game, there was a group of a few dozen people protesting Arizona's immigration law. I'll just show the picture here before I find myself knee deep in political commentary.

All in all, what really matters is the Nats won 5-3 and took another series from the Diamondbacks. The team has Monday off before heading to Atlanta for 3 games, and then Philadelphia (hopefully without Jason Marquis).

The Future of Nationals' Rotation

(Photo Courtesy Reuters)

This is a post that seems to be a bit overdue, yet premature at the same time. I think it's worth exploring here after the trade deadline, though. We'll certainly explore it again in the future. With the Washington Nationals newest aquisition, Yuniesky Maya, it appears that the Nationals could have the best problem in the world next season: too many starting pitchers.

Going into 2011, the Washington Nationals #1 and #2 slots are basically set for Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann. Not much debate in NatsTown there. But 3, 4, and 5 are wide open. Last week, the Nats signed Yuniesky Maya to a major-league contract after he defected from Cuba. Maya was the #1 pitcher for the Cuban National Team in 2009 and according to the Nationals press release "...earned Cuba's equivalent of the Cy Young during his final season in his homeland, going 13-4 with seven complete games and a 2.22 ERA."

Now all of a sudden the rotation is in flux. Like I said, Strasburg and JZimm are all but set. Here's some commentary on the others:

• Scott Olsen has struggled to stay healthy, but is an overpowering lefty when he's able to do so.
  

• Ross Detwiler returned from hip surgery looking as strong as ever. Another lefty that will make a lasting impression at some point. He was the Nats 1st pick (6th overall) in the 2007 amateur draft.

• Chien Ming Wang may never throw a pitch for the Nats, ever. If he does, he's a guy with two 19 win seasons and a Cy Young type pitcher when healthy. The problem is getting him there.

• Jason Marquis came off of an All-Star season in Colorado, but went down with loose bodies in his pitching elbow. If healthy, he's got one of the best sinkers in the game and is a great veteran asset to any rotation.

• Yuniesky Maya recently signed as another potential pitcher of the near future, because he's already 28 years old. If the Nats are going to get anything out of him, it's going to have to be soon. He's already at his "prime" age. It's hard to know until the Nats really get their hands on him, but looks to be the real deal.

• Livan Hernandez... I mean, come on. Livo is one of the stories of the year for the Nats. No one wanted him, but the Nats needed a workhorse, so they went out and got him again. Although he's low on the list of likely candidates, you have to imagine he's on the short list just as a sign of respect.
  

It's easy to see that the Nationals will have absurd decisions to make before April 2011. As we enter the off-season in the fall, we'll make some predictions about what the rotation will look like, but until then, it's impossible to know. One thing that we do know: it looks exciting.

Don't Boo Miguel Batista

(Photo Courtesy AP Photo/Drew Angerer)

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 12 or so hours, you obviously know that Stephen Strasburg was scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday night at Nationals Park. Strasburg was having trouble getting loose in his pre-game warm up. As a precaution, Nats GM Mike Rizzo shut him down immediately. With a scheduled first pitch at 7:05 PM, Strasburg was shut down at around 6:55 PM. There will be plenty of opportunities in the next few hours and days to gossip about Strasburg when we learn more about what the team is calling his "shoulder inflammation." But for now, there is one guy who deserves all of the credit.

Miguel Batista was given approximately 10 minutes to warm up for a start, a process that most starters take the course of the afternoon to do for an evening game. When Batista comes in from the bullpen, he usually warms up over the course of several innings. But last night, there was no time. But the results were shockingly impressive.

We here at Capitol Baseball have expressed our share of Batista criticisms both on the blog and casually to friends. All I have to say about his one start last night: wow. While his ability to deal with inherited runners is still questionable, his "stuff" was certainly not in question. In his first start since 2008, Miguel Batista pitched 5 innings of 0 run, 3 hit ball. He walked only 1 and struck out 6. A truly outstanding performance.

It probably didn't hurt that the 1st place Braves came into the game expecting 100 mph moving fastballs and 91 mph change ups. While Batista isn't a slouch, his fastball is in the low 90s and was effective as it has been all season. But Batista was outstanding.

The bullpen certainly did its part, too. With Batista starting the game, someone needed to take over his long/middle relief role. That person was Sean Burnett, and no I'm not kidding. Burnett pitched a nearly flawless 2 innings of baseball. He gave up 2 hits and didn't walk any. Storen came in to set up and may have been one of his best outings of the year. He got 3 outs in 8 pitches, and his curve ball was dancing. Finally, All-Star Matt Capps came in to get his 25th save on the season. He got the save on just 10 pitches.

The offense produced early. Nyjer Morgan quite literally manufactured a run, stealing 2nd, then 3rd, then got home on an error on the throw to 3rd. Ian Desmond had an outstanding game, with a 2 RBI single that gave the Nats the 3-0 lead that stuck for the rest of the game. Desmond went 2 for 3 on the night. Also, after my Desmond rant on July 7th (that I later recinded), he has committed just 2 errors. I'm not saying that was me... but...

So it turns out the Nationals can actually win baseball games without Stephen Strasburg. Even if Strasburg was scheduled to start that very game. As a Nationals blogger and just a fan of good baseball, I sincerely hope that Strasburg's issues were nothing more than a little bit of inflammation and he'll be ready for his next start. But only time will tell if the Nats will decide to shut Strasburg down a week or two early as a precautionary measure. More on this, with commentary, as it develops.

The Strasburg Strikeout

For your lunchtime reading: There is a GREAT article in the Washington Post today about Strasburg's mechanics from a health standpoint. It's in the Health & Science section (Section E). It's also available here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/26/AR2010072604845.html

A really fascinating read. I recommend it to everyone.

The Battle of the Future

On Tuesday night at Nationals Park, Nats' phenom RHP Stephen Strasburg will take on the Braves young star RHP Tommy Hanson in what should be an epic pitching duel.  The main difference?  Hanson (8-6) is playing for something, while Strasburg (5-2) is playing for an early end to his season.

Tommy Hanson is just one star in the very impressive rotation that the Nationals rotatoin will have to face over the next 3 days.  On Wednesday, the Nats get to face Tim Hudson (10-5) and on Thursday they face Derek Lowe (10-8).  This year, Hanson has been good, but not unhittable.  In 2009, his rookie year, Hanson posted a most impressive 2.89 ERA over a half season or so of work (21 games). 

It just so happens that Tuesday's game will be Hanson's 21st start of his sophomore season, so we can do some semi-accurate comparisons.  Semi-accurate because the Braves are in the heat of a playoff race this year.  This year, Hanson has posted an ERA that the Nats would be jealous to have in their rotation, 4.12.  He's struck out almost as many this year as last year at this point, and has given up 9 fewer walks.  He has a respectable 114 Ks on the year.  The Braves have lost Hanson's last 2 starts, though.

Meanwhile, in less than half the number of starts that Hanson's had this year, Stephen Strasburg already has 75 strikeouts, has an impressive 2.32 ERA.  Even more impressive, the Nationals have won Strasburg's last 4 starts. 

An interesting Nationals Park matchup, Strasburg's home ERA is a meager 2.03, but when Hanson isn't pitching at Turner Field, he has posted a 3.83 ERA.  Also making the duel interesting, Strasburg is pitching for a strong end to his very short season, while Hanson is pitching to help the Braves make the playoffs and for a top of the rotation spot if they get there.  All in all, it should be a great day for baseball in the District.

Coming off of a rest day, we can hope to see some resemblance of a passable lineup today for the Nats.  But there's always a chance that Harris or Kennedy can get a random WTF start because Hanson is a righty, and the way the lineups have been posted lately, I would not be surprised.  Only time will tell.  Now that I'm back in town and won't be posting from New Jersey based on all I can see on ESPN Gamecast or MLB.com's Scoreboard, I hope to have some more interesting things to share with you over the next few days.  Until next time, all.

And We're Back: Strasburg Time

(Photo taken by Keri Roberts for Capitol Baseball - 2010)

Welcome back to the unofficial 2nd half, ladies and gents. Cap Baseball has taken a load of for a few days to prepare for the exciting post-All-Star break festivities. So let's start the ride.

Tonight, Stephen Strasburg begins the push to the end of his season (late-August, early-September), quite possibly just in time to see Jordan Zimmermann return to the rotation with a week or two of overlap possible.

But before anyone worries about that, Strasburg has to take on the Florida Marlins in... Joe Robbie, no Pro Player, no Dolphin(s) Stadium, hm... Land Shark, nope, oh, right, Sun Life Stadium. (Aside: Seriously, who paid the money to switch the stadium from Dolphins Stadium to Dolphin Stadium in 2006. That is outrageous)

The Nats are 3.5 games behind the Marlins in the NL East... for 4th place... so this series is important for them to help close that gap. The Nationals decided to go with Strasburg just for this reason; they want to get the best start from the best pitcher they have to start the second half rolling. Strasburg is 3-2 with a still-impressive 2.32 ERA and 61 Ks. He'll take on Ricky Nolasco instead of Marlins ace Josh Johnson, since Johnson just pitched in the All-Star Game. (Nats hitters are undoubtedly relieved.) Still, Nolasco has been impressive with his 9-6 record and a passable 4.55 ERA.

The Nationals need to pick up where they left off at the end of the first half. I'm not talking so much about the Livan loss on the Sunday before the break. It's more about the run support that the offense has been able to generate (15 runs in the last 3 games). Not to mention Adam Dunn's 2- and 3-homer games and his .500 batting average in the last 5 games. And Zimmerman's .316 average in the same span.

Strasburg will have to face guys like Home Run Derby runner up Hanley Ramirez who is sporting a .301 batting average with 13 home runs and 53 RBI on the year, and his fellow phenom on the Marlins, Mike Stanton. Stanton tore up the the Marlins' minor league affiliate Jacksonville Suns early in the year, batting .311 and hitting 21 home runs in just 52 games. The Marlins had seen enough, and they brought him up in early-June. But Stanton hasn't been quite as unshakable as Strasburg. He's hitting just .231 with a .276 OBP, and facing Strasburg won't make it any easier for the young man.

I know that you're all as excited as I am to get back into baseball, so let's see what Stephen can offer the Nationals today. But more importantly, let's see what the Nationals offense can offer him in support.

Stephen Strasburg: All-Star?

To those of you that loyally read Capitol Baseball, you know my thoughts on the All-Star Game and All-Star voting. I wrote a few weeks back about reforming voting, but a topic that has become more interesting to baseball fans across the country is whether Stephen Strasburg will, or should, make the All-Star Game.

Stephen Strasburg's introduction to major league baseball was a spectacle never seen before in DC, and maybe never before in the entire sport. The buzz generated around a singular player for a team that is a running joke for most baseball fans was remarkable for the Nation's Capital. The Nats were finally mentioned on Sportscenter, and Baseball Tonight, and MLB Network. And not to say "wow, look at how much this team sucks." To say "the Washington Nationals are looking up; they have what may be the best pitcher in the game." A refreshing change, indeed.

Strasburg's first start was dominant. His second, third, fourth, and fifth starts were not quite as incredible, but certainly were strong, despite offensive and defensive breakdowns in more than a few of them. Nonetheless, the hype surrounding his rookie year and the impending All-Star Game has people wondering... should Stephen Strasburg be an All-Star this year?

Strasburg will, we hope, have a long and prosperous career as a Washington National and will have plenty of opportunity to make the ASG on merit. But if he makes it this season, it would be on hype and MLB profits, not ability. Sure, Strasburg is exciting. He fills the seats at Nats games, a feat in its own right. He has seemingly endless talent. But when a rookie with 6 starts under his belt at the time the roster is decided by Charlie Manuel (July 4th), it's hard to make a good argument that he should make the squad.

In addition, the Nationals, as they have in 4 of their 5 seasons, will probably only have one representative at the ASG. I know that I, personally, would rather see someone that has earned his way. Maybe Zimmerman, maybe Capps, maybe Pudge, maybe even Clippard. But not Strasburg.

I get the feeling that Washingtonians will have plenty of opportunities to vote for Strasburg as an All-Star in the future. Why not let the fans select him to his first game, rather than a manager's pick? Strasburg may eventually be great, but today he's a rookie with out even a month of experience in the majors. He is not an All-Star.

Strasburg and Nats Go for the Kill

After a shockingly bad month of baseball, the Nats have taken 2 of 3 from the Kansas City Royals and will go for the sweep this afternoon with Stephen Strasburg on the mount. The Nats bats came alive last night, with Josh Willingham hitting his 100th career home run and Adam Dunn crushing his 17th on the season.

The team is still unable to get those home runs with runners on base, but they did tally 11 hits on the game on Tuesday. Stephen Strasburg, the rookie with 3 starts, 3 MLB records, and extensive talk about making the All-Star team will face the Royals RHP Brian Bannister who is 6-5, but has a very high 5.70 ERA and only 47 Ks in 14 games. Strasburg (2-0), in case you haven't been obsessively following like the rest of the baseball world, has a 1.86 ERA and 32 strike outs. Again, that's in only 3 starts.

Strasburg looks to continue his dominance today and, for the first time in a while, not be the stopper for a losing streak. Lineups will be out in the next few hours, and with a day game after a night game, you hope to not see a lot of bench players starting.

For now, I go back to having the shakes in minute 76 of the USA World Cup game...

Nats Try to Salvage Season against Royals

On Monday, the Nationals took a big step in the right direction. First, by breaking a 6 game losing streak. Second, by scoring enough runs... 2... to land a starter a win whose name isn't Stephen Strasburg. The last time the Nats got a win that wasn't started by Strasburg was 10 days ago from Livan Hernandez.

To take it a bit further: The last Washington Nationals starter to get a win that isn't named Strasburg or Hernandez was on May 31st. 20 games ago. That was Luis Atilano. Unfortunately, this has become the problem with starting pitchers over the last month or so. The Nats simply can't score enough runs to win, even when their starters give them a quality outing.

Well, Monday night the 2 runs were enough to take out the abysmal Royals. Although the Royals are 17-19 in their last 36. I don't think we even want to discuss what the Nats record is over that time frame. (The answer is 12-24... yea... ouch.)

The Nats look for a sweep of this series to get their derailed season back on track. Not on track for the wild card, or the division, but for respectability. They'll have to do so on Tuesday on the remarkable 5-4 record of Luis Atilano and hits unsavory 4.77 ERA. The Nats will face Royals RHP Anthony Lerew for the win. Lerew has only 15 games of MLB experience since 2005, and it will be only his 2nd start on the year. If there is a day for the Nats bats to wake up, it must be Tuesday against this greenhorn starter.

The Nats have a 4:35 pm start from Strasburg on Wednesday, and hopefully that can end this series with a 3 game winning streak to take the trip to Baltimore for a 3 game series against the MLB worse Orioles (19-50). Last year on this date, the Nationals were 21-47, so yes, the Orioles are on pace to be worse than the Nats were last year. Take THAT Peter Angelos... Oh, what's that? You're making money on the Nationals success this year? Damn.

Nats Drop Another: Season on Life Support

The Washington Nationals lost another game on Thursday afternoon; they were swept by the Detroit Tigers in a 8-3 loss. Nats fans all around were excited for the promise of this season early. Strasburg was going to come up at some point, the team was 5 games above .500 a month into the season, they were competing with every team.

Then, all of a sudden, the offense stopped scoring. The pitching stopped getting outs (with a 2 game Strasburg exception). The defense's errors skyrocketed. The fun atmosphere in the clubhouse seemed to decrease, which have a tendency to happen when you start losing. But it begs the question... what happened to the Nats from April and May?

Starting with the good, the Nats as a team have the 2nd most saves in all of baseball with 22. This is a more important stat than people realize, because it means when our closers get the lead, they keep it most of the time. Unfortunately, the closers aren't getting the lead too much.

The Nats bats haven't been doing it lately. To be clear, they're not bad. They're just not good, either: 13th overall in batting average, 15th in home runs, 18th in RBI, 16th in hits. A strong showing of mediocrity. I posted earlier about the Nats struggles to score runs, and they're on a skid now with the same problem. Although Adam Dunn is certainly doing his part. He's hitting .288 with 16 home runs (2nd in the NL). He's hit homers in 6 of his last 9 games.

The pitching is what you'd expect from out rotation as well, and using a 2-game old rookie as your "stopper" for losing streaks isn't going to cut it for long. Strasburg can't do it all, as much as we all would like to believe he's the Baseball Messiah of the 21st Century. The Nats are 18th in ERA, 21st in WHIP, and 29th (ouch) in strikeouts.

So I think what it comes down to is: the Nats aren't very good, but they're not terrible, and that's what we're seeing in their 31-36 record. They'll certainly move closer to .500 again this year, and then they'll fluctuate back down. But one thing is for sure. As disappointing as their performance has been this month, they're record puts them at 21st out of 30 teams in the MLB. A far cry from where they were last year at this point in the year (dead last, in case you've forgotten that pain). And they'd have to have an historic losing streak in order to get back to where they were last season.

There is hope for Nats fans, in the long run. This is a marked improvement over the last two seasons 205 losses. As I predicted, the Nats have just come down to earth, and it is so hard to watch now because they were playing so well. It's hard when you're frustrated to feel good about this year, but just remember where they were just one year ago.

The future of Washington's rotation, SS, is pitching tomorrow against Gavin Floyd to try to be the stopper yet again in only his 3rd MLB start. The Nats are expecting another great crowd, so stay tuned to see if Strasburg can stay relatively perfect this year. Eventually, he's got to blow one, right? Right? I hope not...

Oh my Boesch: Nats continue their losing skid

Detroit Tigers left fielder Brennan Boesch was a nightmare on Wednesday for the Nationals. He went 3 for 4 with a home run and 4 RBI. Since Boesch was called up from their AAA affiliate in Toledo on April 24th, he has been incredible. He's hit .344 with 9 home runs and 34 RBI.

Livan Hernandez was a different story. Livan almost got yanked in the 2nd inning with no outs. He walked 3 runners in the 2nd inning, one with the bases loaded. He seemed to be fighting control issues throughout the whole game. His delivery looked choppy and forced. When all was said and done, Livan made it 6 2/3 innings, giving up 8 runs on only 7 hits. That's not a typo; he walked 6 Tigers. That is not Livo's game.

The Nats offense did what it has done so often this season: scored early runs. Dunn got a home run off of Verlander in the first, Bernadina in the 2nd. But the team would score only one more run in the 6th off of a Pudge RBI. The Nats lost 8-3. The Nationals pitching, besides a 21 year old kid, has been uninspired. In June, the starting pitchers ERA is above 4.00. Without Strasburg, it's worse.

It seems like since Strasburg came up and the Nats left DC (and the Pittsburgh Pirates as an opponent), the pitching rotation has disintegrated. Jim Riggleman has changed the starting line up almost impulsively. The last time the Nats fielded the same 8 guys back to back was June 5th and 6th; or 11 days ago. Not exactly the consistent lineup you hope for.

Instead, the Nats have lost 20 of their last 31 games, and have spiraled to 4 games below the .500 mark (31-35). The solid pitching from the early part of the season is gone, the offense is stagnating, and the "regular starters" are getting no consistency. Players certainly need time off, but spot starting a guy like Michael Morse (who is batting .424 in 33 ABs) just doesn't make any sense. Especially when you start Willie Harris instead (who is now batting .158 after going 0 for 3 on Wednesday).

Riggleman has a tough job, and it's easy to forget while watching frustrating games. He has rarely had a lead late into the games, and he's had to go to the bullpen early. But the Nats need to do something, and they need to do it badly.

I propose a move in the outfield to put Bernadina in center and Morse in right once the team returns to DC. You just have to find a way to get Morse in the lineup. The team looks to avoid a sweep on Thursday with Luis Atilano on the mound before Strasburg goes for the Nats on Friday against Mark Buehrle. The Nats absolutely need the win on Thursday to avoid a dreadful 1-5 road trip. We'll see what Riggs does to get this team moving again. Until later...

The 2nd Coming of Jeezus: Game 64

Sunday afternoon, Stephen Strasburg had his 2nd start as a Washington National. Strasburg didn't quite look as dominating as in game 1, but none the less, his line was impressive. 5 1/3 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 8 strikeouts. One number vastly different than in game 1 was his walks. He gave up none on Tuesday against Pittsburgh. He gave up 5 on Sunday. He was having trouble with the mound, visibly slipping all over the place.

Perhaps the best moment of the day, though, is Adam Dunn's collision with rookie catcher Carlos Santana at home plate. Santana was blocking the plate with no throw coming in, and the 6' 7" former lineman made Carlos pay. The clip is below:

(Video Courtesy: MASN/DC50)

I will be back with you this afternoon with a story on the Nats streaky-ness after scoring lots and lots of runs. Check back around 1:30!

Questioning Riggleman's Lineup Card and Episode II: The Stras-pire Strikes Back

This weekend has been full of World Cup talk and game watching my house, like hundreds of millions of homes across the world. It's an exciting time every 4 years when June comes around, even for those that aren't huge soccer fans. It's very exciting to watch players compete for their countries in the most popular sport on earth. But I digress; back to America's Pastime.

Jim Riggleman came into the series against the Cleveland Indians hoping to capitalize on the Nationals sweep against the Pirates, the excitement over Stephen Strasburg, and the offensive weakness of the Indians.

Well, none of that has happened so far. The Nats have given up 7 runs in each of the first 2 games against the Indians. The pitching has been abysmal, and one former Nationals player that the team dismissed and ate his $8 million contract came back to bite them. Austin Kearns, yes, the Nats player that hit the Mendoza Line in 2009 and was injured for most of the last 2 years of his Nationals career is healthy in Cleveland, hitting .307. He hit 2 home runs against Atilano on Friday. Personally, I'm happy to see Austin healthy and successful.

However, Riggleman did give himself much offensive assistance with his Friday and Saturday lineups. Most questionable of all of those calls was Willy Harris as a DH on Saturday. The Nationals wanted to get Harris some consistent playing time to get his confidence up. However, the offensive expense was great. Harris is now hitting .163 and went 0 for 7 against Cleveland. He is not in the lineup today.

Meanwhile, Michael "Don't Call Me Mike" Morse is hitting .417 and was coming off of a 3 for 3 night against Pittsburgh to end that series with a sweep. To me, it defies logic how a team that is competitive in the NL East well into June can take the bat out of a kid's hands who is hitting over .400 to put it in someone's hand that is hitting well below .200 and is a liability with the bat. Making a lefty batter against a righty pitcher in favor of Harris is irrelevant as well. Harris is hitting just .165 against righties, while Morse is hitting .556; even better than he is against lefties.

Morse has taken it all in stride. He knows his role as a utility guy, and has embraced it. However, when you have a player that is as dominant as Morse is, I question Riggleman's managerial decisions putting Willie Harris in the game.

Today's lineup looks a little more like the Nats want to compete to win, but the Indians certainly are going for the sweep with theirs. Oh, and some good young kid is pitching for the Nats for his 2nd start. Maybe you've heard of him...

Nationals
1. Guzman, 2B
2. Nyjer, CF
3. Zim, DH
4. Adam Dunn, 1B
5. Hammer, LF
6. Pudge, C
7. Morse, RF
8. Ian Desmond, SS
9. The Attorney General (Gonzalez), 3B
SP: Stephen Strasburg

Indians
1. Trevor Crowe, CF
2. Shin-Soo Choo, RF
3. Carlos Santana, C
4. Travis Hafner, DH
5. Austin Kearns, LF
6. Russell Branyan, 1B
7. Jhonny Peralta, 3B
9. Luis Valbuena, 2B
9. Anderson Hernandez, SS
SP: David Huff

Stephen Strasburg: Exceeding Exceptional Expectations

It's the top of the 7th inning. The crowd has been standing for a few minutes now. The cheers are booming; the crowd in awe. All eyes are on every single pitch. A spontaneous "Let's Go Nats" chant starts in the upper deck and makes its way around the entire park. The Blackberry's are put away; cameras are flashing. This playoff atmosphere wasn't for the playoffs at all. It was for the Washington Nationals who were 4 games below .500 entering Tuesday night, and the kid who has lived up to exceeded every unreasonably outrageous expectation: Stephen Strasburg.

Everyone knows about the outing by Strasburg by now, but it's worth repeating. Strasburg pitched 7 innings of 4 hit, 2 run baseball. Oh and he didn't walk a single batter. Oh, and he struck out 14 Pirates. You may be saying to yourself, wow, when's the last time a pitcher did that in his debut? The answer: 1971 when J.R. Richard struck out 15 for the Houston Astros. Yea, 29 years ago.

Strasburg did his 7 innings of work on 94 pitches. The last time someone got 14 strikeouts on less than 96 pitches? Never. In the history of Major League Baseball. Never ever. (Thanks to @AdamKilgoreWP for the stat.)

Strasburg's first strikeout of the night was against Lastings Milledge on 3 pitches. The die hard Nats fans ate it up. The crowd erupted. After Strasburg gave up a 2 run home run to Delwyn Young in the 4th inning, he retired the next 10 batters in a row. 8 of those 10 batters were struck out. Delwyn Young's home run came on a Strasburg change up after he threw two in succession.

In the 7th inning, Young was Strasburg's 13th strikeout victim of the game. On 3 fastballs. 98 mph. 98 mph. 99 mph. He learned from that mistake. After the game, Pittsburgh's Ronny Cedeño said, "His change-up is like 89-90-91 miles an hour, man. That's hard to hit." That it is, Ronny. Especially after seeing a 99 mph fastball.

And then, there was the offensive comeback. The Nationals heart of the order was just that. Zimmerman, Dunn, and Willingham all had home runs, with Dunn and Willingham's back-to-back in the 6th to shoot the Nats ahead of the Bucks 4-2.

Washington never looked back, scoring another run in the bottom of the 8th. The Nats Clipp'd n Saved for Stephen Strasburg's first career win and Capps' 19th save on the season. A comeback that Capps desperately needed after blowing 3 of his last 4 save chances.

As a lifelong baseball fan, I have never been to a game that was so exciting with such an electric crowd. It is a game that not only Nationals fans, but baseball fans, will remember forever. Strasburg summed it up perfectly himself on MLB Network last night after the game. After he got 3 shaving cream pies to the face, he was asked if the cream stung. His response: "A little bit, but it's the greatest feeling in the world." For us, too, Stephen.

Day Two of DC's Prospect-o-rama: Strasmas

Yesterday, I wrote about the Nats choosing Bryce Harper #1 overall in the 2010 MLB 1st Year Player Draft. (Harperkkah? anyone? maybe not.) And today... oh man... today...

Stephen Strasburg will make his Major League Baseball debut. I can't even believe I'm saying it myself. It's finally happening, the Messiah has come on this day known around DC, and now across the country, as Strasmas.

Strasburg will join the Nationals with a combined 7-2 record, a 1.30 ERA, and 65 strikeouts in the minor leagues. The Nats starter with the most strikeouts this season was RHP Craig Stammen actually, who was just sent down to AAA Syracuse to make room for Strasburg. Stammen had 31 Ks... Less than half of what Strasburg did in the minors.

Unfortunately, the hype around Strasburg has led to unreasonably high expectations. Some people, including me at times, expect SS to come onto the field at Nats Park tomorrow and expect a true Jesus-like miracle. Listen folks. This is a 21 year old kid who is going to have his share of bad days, because even the best of the best pitchers in history had them. And we're assume SS is the best of the best, and we have no idea if he actually is yet. Let us all remember, even if Strasburg goes out and has a horrible game today, it is just one game of many in his career.

After that downer of a paragraph, I must disclose that this was my feeble attempt at managing unreasonably high expectations, that even I hold, as I write this post in excitement of first pitch in a little less than 12 hours. (Aside: Baseball Historian Ken Burns will be throwing out the ceremonial 1st pitch at tonight's game... how appropriate.) I find it increasingly difficult to contain my elation for today's events.

Check back here either late tonight (depending on my level of exhaustion post game) or early tomorrow morning for pictures and comments about crowd reaction and the quality of pitches.

It's going to be a magical day in NatsTown.

Two Days of Nats Prospects

Today is June 7th. To computer nerds (like me), it is known as the day that Apple hosts its Worldwide Developers Conference where they'll likely release the next iPhone. But for baseball nerds (also like me), it is Day One of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft.

Bryce Harper

At approximately 7:15 pm this evening, Mike Rizzo and company will have to officially say what he's know for a while now. Will they take Bryce Harper 1st overall in 2010? The answer, quite simply, is yes.

Harper has been electric as a 17 year old and many scouts are saying he may be one of the best offensive prospects ever. Harper batted .442 in his 65 games played with an OBP of .524. Every other time he went to bat, he reached base. Absolutely incredible. One concern that the Nats should have about Harper is his attitude and on-field demeanor.

Now infamously, Harper was ejected from a game in the Junior College World Series after drawing a line in the dirt, showing up the home plate ump. It was not a smart protest by the young Harper, with the entire crowd watching his every move. The ump knew this too, and maybe thought he'd make stories for ejecting the latest phenom. And maybe Harper had something to protest about. The pitch looked to be about a mile outside. Literally in the right handed batters box. He should still have been more grown up than that. But then again... he's 17 years old people!

Stephen Strasburg

And tomorrow (June 8, in case you were living under a rock for the last week or so), it will be the Nats current phenom, Stephen Strasburg, making his MLB debut. RHP Craig Stammen was optioned to AAA Syracuse last night after his start against the Reds. Stammen pitched a solid 6 2/3 and only 66 pitches before getting pulled by Riggleman. Strasburg will face Jeff Karstens from Pittsburgh, who has a 4.50 ERA, but has spent most of his short MLB season (called up April 27th) in the bullpen. Talk about two contrasting starters.

Not too much more to say about SS until tomorrow when the start actually finally happens, but Capitol Baseball will be there with great pictures, from the first pitch to the standing ovation walk to the dugout.

Strasburg's 2nd DC Start

Well, everyone knows that Stephen Strasburg's MLB debut is this Tuesday, June 8th. The game will be covered locally on MASN 2 and nationally on MLB Network. Then, the Nats head on a little road trip to Cleveland to see the old skipper Manny Acta and to Detroit.

I went and looked at the old Nats schedule for June 19th, and the Nationals were supposed to play the White Sox in some interleague play at 7:05 pm. Well now, Fox will be showing that game as their Saturday afternoon game at 4:10 pm.

It's probably not an accident that the change just happens to be right on schedule to be Stephen Strasburg's 3rd start of the season, and 2nd at home. If you weren't able to land tickets to the June 8th game, you may want to go to nationals.com soon to claim yours for the 19th for your next best chance.

Later this weekend, I'm going to have some fairly in depth coverage of the abysmal umpiring this weekend in DC. Stay tuned, and feel free to comment.

DISCLAIMER: I am not guaranteeing any start by Strasburg, nor am I encouraging anyone to scalp tickets or purchase tickets for $2,000,000. That's just not smart. I will not be held responsible for any changes in pitching schedule or "lost tickets." I felt like that needed to be said to cover my behind.