Tag: Stephen Strasburg (Page 3 of 6)

      Nationals should shut down Stephen Strasburg for the rest of 2010

      August 22, 2010 /
      Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg wipes sweat from his face after the second against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park on on August 15, 2010. UPI/Kevin Dietsch Photo via Newscom

      After throwing a 90 mph changeup and grimacing on the mound in pain during the fifth inning of Saturday’s game against the Phillies, the Nationals have little choice but to shut down Stephen Strasburg’s 2010 season.

      This is the second time this month that Strasburg has dealt with an injury. A couple of weeks ago he had a shoulder problem that caused him to miss some time and yesterday’s injury has been diagnosed as a strain of the flexor tendon in his right forearm. Considering this is a club that’s 17 games below .500 and 19 games back in the NL Central, this should be a no-brainer decision for the Nationals. Regardless of what a MRI reveals – his season should be over. Why risk further injury here?

      Something that will be lost in the injury news is how well Strasburg pitched yesterday. He threw 56 pitches before departing the game, throwing 38 for strikes and allowing just one run on two hits to go along with his six strikeouts. He showed the type of mastery of hitters last night as he did when he was first called up in June.

      But again, regardless of how good he looked or how many tickets the Nationals want to sell from here on out, they have to look at the bigger picture. Just because he has suffered a couple of injuries this year doesn’t mean that he’ll have issues the rest of his career and in fact, the early indication is that he should be fine. But why take any chances right now? Both the Nationals and Strasburg have more to look forward to than the rest of this season, which essentially means nothing.

      Shut his season down, have him take a MRI and then proceed with how to handle the results. Getting the young phenom back onto the mound should be the least of the Nationals’ concerns right now.

      External Sports, MLB

      It’s hard not to like Strasburg’s take on Harper’s signing decision

      August 16, 2010 /
      Washington Nationals' pitcher Stephen Strasburg pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Nationals Park on on August 15, 2010. UPI/Kevin Dietsch Photo via Newscom

      When the 22-year-old face of your franchise says things like, “If he doesn’t want to play here, then we don’t want him here,” it’s hard not to take a liking to him.

      That comment was uttered by Stephen Strasburg when asked whether or not he had any advice for Bryce Harper – the Nationals’ No. 1 overall pick this year who has until Midnight tonight to agree to terms with the club.

      Here’s Strasburg’s full quote, courtesy of Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post:

      “I don’t have any advice for him,” Strasburg said. “It’s his decision. If he wants to play here, he’s going to play here. He doesn’t need advice from anyone to confirm his views. If he doesn’t want to play here, then we don’t want him here. That’s the bottom line.”

      Granted, it’s a little easier for Strasburg to say that now that he’s comfortably viewing the situation from the inside looking out. A year ago, Strasburg and the Nationals went down to the final seconds of the 2009 deadline before agreeing to a record-breaking four-year, $15.1 million contract. He’s represented by Scott Boras, the same agent that represents Harper.

      Strasburg knows that signing a contract is just business. He had talent that the Nationals wanted, so he and Boras made them pay for that talent. But the bottom line is that he eventually did sign, which is something the 17-yard-old Harper has yet to do.

      By saying what he did, Strasburg has drawn a line in the sand for Harper: You’re either with us, or against us. Strasburg reminds us that even though financial matters are part of the business, the game of baseball still boils down to competing. Seeing as how Harper is going to be a rich man know matter what, the only question that remains is whether or not he wants to compete along with Strasburg and an up-and-coming Nationals club.

      If he doesn’t, then here’s hoping that he can sleep tonight knowing that he passed up on millions of guaranteed money.

      External Sports, MLB

      Stephen Strasburg placed on DL. That can only mean that his, his kids’, and his kids’ kids’ careers are over with now.

      July 29, 2010 /
      Washington National's starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg delivers a pitch to the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning of play in their MLB National League baseball game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 21, 2010. REUTERS/John Sommers II (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      The Nationals had to place starter Stephen Strasburg on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to July 22) with right shoulder stiffness according to MLB.com. Apparently the young phenom was having trouble getting loose before his scheduled start against the Braves on Tuesday and thus, the Nats decided to scratch him from the game and then place him on the DL.

      Like a shark smelling blood in the water, when an injury like this happens to a young pitcher, someone in baseball always takes the opportunity to predict future problems for the player. That someone in this instance is White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper, who told MLB Network Radio on Thursday morning that Strasburg’s arm action could result in future injuries.

      From the New York Post:

      “I am not wishing this guy bad, but for him to be having problems right now when they are really, really watching him what are they going to see when they are trying to get 220 innings from him? He does something with his arm action that is difficult, in my mind, to pitch a whole lot of innings on.”

      “It reminds me a little bit of Kerry Wood, a little bit of Mark Prior. I hope I’m wrong about this,” said Cooper, whose White Sox were held to one run over seven innings by Strasburg in his third major-league start. “When you throw with the kind of talent and force that he can throw, you can break easier than let’s say a Mark Buehrle type.”

      Wow, a prediction of future complications and references to Kerry Wood and Mark Prior? You went all out, Don.

      Cooper has probably forgotten more about pitching than I’ll ever know and he’s just sharing his opinion, but all of this seems a little too convenient for me. Strasburg hasn’t even been on the DL for over 24 hours and Cooper is already making national statements that he could have future problems. Shouldn’t we hold off first?

      Maybe Cooper will inevitably be proven right, but we have to wait and see. Just because Strasburg is having arm problems now doesn’t mean that he’s going to have the same issues in the future, nor does it mean that this injury is a prelude to a bigger problem. We just don’t know.

      The key is that the Nationals are taking the situation seriously and are proceeding with caution. Strasburg is a massive part of their future and they’re going about this injury the right way. They need to protect their investment and considering they’re not playing for a pennant right now, it makes sense that they would put him on the DL instead of taking any chances.

      External Sports, MLB

      No reason Stephen Strasburg should have been left off the NL All-Star roster

      July 5, 2010 /

      Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg delivers to a New york Mets batter in the first inning of their National League MLB baseball game in Washington, July 3, 2010. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      I’m fully aware that he has only been pitching for about a month. I’m also aware that there are other pitchers in the National League who have been equally as impressive (the Cardinals’ Jamie Garcia being one of them).

      But there’s still no excuse why Stephen Strasburg was left off the NL All-Star Game roster. In fact, there’s only one reason why he should be getting ready to pitch in L.A. two weeks from now and it has nothing to do with the number of starts he’s made or batters he has struck out so far in his young career.

      Ever since Bud Selig decided to make the All-Star Game relevant in 2003 by awarding the winner home field advantage in the World Series, the pastime has taken on a ton of importance. And seeing as how the game means so much for the league that wins, isn’t it vital for both teams to field the best players?

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, MLB

      Strasburg continues to laugh at big league hitting

      June 19, 2010 /

      Nationals’ phenom Stephen Strasburg once again dominated his competition in his third start of the season, striking out 10 White Sox in seven innings on Friday night. Unfortunately for him he picked up a no-decision, but he walked zero batters against the best lineup he’s pitched against since he was called up.

      Thus far, he has struck out 32 batters in 19 1/3 innings and has compiled a 1.86 ERA. The 32 Ks is the most for any pitcher in baseball’s modern era (1900 – present). He’s also the first pitcher in the modern era to have two 10-strikeout, no-walk games in his first three MLB starts.

      Granted, the Pirates, Indians and White Sox don’t have powerhouse offenses, but so what? These are still major league hitters that he’s managed to look like toddlers swinging those big, red plastic bats for the first time in the backyard. His stuff is absolutely out-of-this-world.

      Strasburg is scheduled to face the Royals in his next matchup, which will be the best offense he has seen to date.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

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