Piat Pat Toes

Stephen Strasburg’s Final Step?

thausman — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 05:59:49 +0000

Stephen Strasburg will likely join the Nationals in early September.

If you happen to be near Syracuse, New York you should get down to Alliance Bank Stadium on Saturday night. That’s because it may be your only chance to Stephen Strasburg in person for a long time. The rehabbing superstar is scheduled to pitch for the AAA Chiefs on Saturday, and it could be his final tuneup before he returns to the majors.

The Nationals are hoping Strasburg can replace Jordan Zimmermann in the starting rotation. Zimmermann is being limited to around 160 innings, after recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2009. He’s thrown 157 so far this year, so Sunday’s start against the Reds will likely be his last of the season.

If he assumes Zimmermann’s spot right away, Strasburg would be slotted against the Mets on September 2. However the team could wait as late as September 6, against the Dodgers, when his rehab assignment officially expires. GM Mike Rizzo wants Strasburg pitch in the majors this year, so Saturday’s start at AAA could be the final step in his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

With Or Without Choo

thausman — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 05:40:17 +0000

Just when it looked like Shin Soo Choo was about to break out offensively, he suffered another unfortunate injury. He told reporters it happened on a check swing, during his final at-bat in Tuesday’s double header. Choo went 4-for-8 on the day with a double, a triple and two homeruns but hasn’t been able to play ever since.

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Fantasy Dud of the Day: Brandon League

ahausman — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:56:45 +0000

Let’s just say it’s a bad thing when your ERA for a particular outing is listed as N/A. But that’s what happened for Brandon League after failing to record an out in the ninth inning and allowing a walk-off homerun to Shin -Soo Choo. It’s probably nothing to be concerned about for the Mariners’ young closer. He was bound to hit a bump in the road after the hot stretch he’s been on. And yet… his fantasy scoring has been inconsistent to say the least. A look at his weekly Sportsline point totals makes the stock market look stable.

Honorable mentions: Leo Nunez, Colby Lewis, Brian Duensing

Strasburg Headed To AAA Syracuse

thausman — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 06:45:10 +0000

Almost exactly one-year since undergoing Tommy John surgery, Stephen Strasburg took a big step toward making his major league return. Pitching for the Class A Hagerstown Suns earlier this week, Strasburg struck out six batters over three innings and his fastball hit 99 mph at times.

Strasburg’s next rehab start is scheduled with AAA Syracuse on Saturday, and all signs still point to an early September return. GM Mike Rizzo told reporters, “The stuff is there, the arm is healthy and that’s all we care about.” Another Nats excecutive was just a little more direct. He said, “You don’t throw 99 if it ain’t fixed.”

The Nats want Strasburg to get 50 innings of work before the end of the year, however so far he’s only logged 9 1/3 innings. He’ll likely get two more rehab starts, probably Aug. 27 and Sept. 1, but the minor league regular season ends Sept. 5. That means he will only reach 50 innings, if recalled to the majors. Which could happen on Sept. 6, when the Nationals host the Dodgers.