Editor's Meeting

MTD lives in New Orleans and Derwood built a cabin out of sticks and mud in Conyers, Georgia, so occasionally they have to communicate through text message. Here's the latest back-and-forth entitled "Strasburg Returns".


MTD (7:45 p.m. EST): Strasburg struck out two in the second. A 90 MPH change up and a 99 MPH fast ball.

Derwood Morris (7:47 p.m.): 90 change up? Big deal.

MTD (7:48 p.m.): Yeah, no biggie. Miles started swinging at the 99 MPH before it left Strasburg's hand.

DM (7:49 p.m.): So, I guess you could say there is a little Aaron Miles in all of us, thought hopefully not too much?

MTD (7:52 p.m.): Yes, I would have had to change my pants.

DM (7:55 p.m.): I had to change my pants and I wasn't even watching, which actually describes every single at bat I had in little league.

MTD (8:12 p.m.): Strasburg has retired nine straight after giving up a lead off double.

DM (8:16 p.m.): What a bum. A double?!

MTD (8:41 p.m.): Five innings, two hits, and he's in line for the all-important pitcher win.

DM (8:44 p.m.): He'd tie for the all-time lead in wins by a pitcher on September 6, 2011. Also, I bet if Donnie came out of retirement and pinch hit, he would've doubled down the right field line off Strasburg. But, I sometimes live in 1987.

MTD (8:47 p.m.): All of this Strasburg pitching to contact BS makes me want to punch my TV in the groin.

DM (8:49 p.m.): What if you pitch to contact and no one makes contact? Is it still considered pitching to contact or does it not matter at all because it's a really stupid and pointless topic to discuss?

MTD (8:51 p.m.): It makes sense if you're a crappy ground ball pitcher, like me in wiffle ball, but not wanting Strasburg to strike guys out early in games to keep his pitch count low is like having a Ferari that you only pull in and out of the garage.

DM (8:56 p.m.): According to Moe Syzlak it's called a car hole, but that does remind me of the time I had my station wagon and I refused to drag race my friend Chris' grandpa. I forgot what we were talking about. By the way, the 2011 Los Angeles Dodgers are making a come back! Someone tell Alex Cora to grab a bat.

MTD (9:07 p.m.): I have drinking to do now, so, I stopped watching.

DM (9:10 p.m.): I never started.

Strasburg Looks Good in Syracuse

Stephen Strasburg took another step towards possibly rejoining the Washington Nationals in September. The right-hander, coming off Tommy John Surgery and making his fifth rehab start and first with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, threw five perfect innings against the Rochester Red Wings (Twins affiliate) before the dynamic duo of Aaron Bates and Steve Holm led off the top of the sixth with consecutive singles.

Craig Stammen, who reportedly is going to have Craig Stammen Surgery after the 2011 season, allowed one of the inherited runners to score, so Strasburg's final line was 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 K. That's a lot better than the 23-year old pitched with the Single-A Hagerstown Suns when he made three starts and allowed seven earned runs in just 6 1/3 IP (though most of the damage came in the middle start when he allowed five earned runs). Strasburg also made one start with the Single-A Potomac Nationals and threw three, two-hit innings and struck out five.

The saddest part about Strasburg's start Saturday is that Rochester right fielder Brian Dinkelman went 0-for-2 with a strike out. That means Brian Dinkelman Bobblehead Night, scheduled for Rochester's next home game, August 30 against Pawtucket, has been cancelled.

Strasburg Brings Back The Heat

I may have gotten a bit swept up in Strasburg-Mania last season. Can you really blame me though? The top prospect in baseball didn't disappoint after debuting with the Nationals at just 21-years-old. Stephen Strasburg threw 68 innings and registered a 2.91/2.08/2.04 (ERA/FIP/xFIP) pitching line. He routinely hit 100 mph and had a 12.18 K/9. So you shouldn't be too surprised that I tagged him in 29 posts. What can I say? I have a tendency to both buy and propagate prospect hype.

Strasburg's promising rookie season came to an abrupt and painful end though, like most of my relationships. On August 27, I had to write the post about Strasburg needing Tommy John surgery. I wrote that I thought Strasburg, like most Tommy John-ers, would return close to his pre-injury self but I worried about the velocity on his fastball a little.

Those worries were quashed after Strasburg made his first minor-league rehab start on Sunday. He hit 98 mph on his third pitch and threw 15 of his 31 pitches at least 97 mph. Strasburg said that he worked hard on his conditioning and is in a lot better shape...

“I think I’m definitely on the right path to throw 200-plus innings every year.”

Strasburg still has a ways to go, likely four more minor-league appearances before he reaches Washington. Part of his long road back is pitch selection, as Strasburg said he focused mainly on working his fastball in this game.

“I knew I wasn’t going to go out there and necessarily throw 100 every time, and I wasn’t going to go out and snap off breaking ball after breaking ball,” he said.

Strasburg won't turn 22-years-old until late this month so there's still hope he can break every pitching record imaginable. I may have made some hasty futures bets last year.

Off Base NL East Preview

Offbase editors Derwood Morris and MTD haven't had much luck previewing things lately-MTD incorrectly predicted Gary Discarcina would come out of retirement to help the Angels win the 2009 World Series and Derwood thought Teen Wolf 3 would be the 2010 summer blockbuster. But here are division previews anyway.


We start with the NL East, home of the reigning champion Phillies, wild card Braves, and the other three teams.


Philadelphia (2010: 97-65)
The Phils, who lost in the NLCS to the eventual champion Giants, already had Roy Halliday, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, but they added some bum named Cliff Lee and now everyone from Jim down the street to that other guy are predicting Philly to go 161-1 (September loss to the Astros in a classic trap game). Oh, and they also have Joe Blanton in the rotation. You know the old saying: if Joe Blanton is your No. 5 starter, you'd better have four good pitchers in front of him. The Phillies do. And despite the knee problems for MTD's boyfriend Chase Utley, they should have enough offense with Ryan Howard, whose averaged 46 HR the past five seasons despite a down 2010 season, and....ummm, Raul Ibanez? OK, so maybe they won't have enough offense, but with that pitching it may not matter.

Atlanta (91-71)
There's a new era in Atlanta. No, the Hawks didn't go through with John Koncak Bobblehead Night after all. The Braves are going into a season with someone other than Bobby Cox as manager for the first time since 1989. The Wobbly One retired after taking Atlanta to the playoffs 15 times in 20 seasons. Big adult diapers to fill for Fredi Gonzalez, who used to be a Braves coach and recently was fired as Marlins manager by shortstop Hanley Ramirez. If it wasn't for the Phils rotation, we'd be talking about Atlanta's being the best in the East with Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson, Jair Jurrjens and Derek Lowe forming a solid quartet. Atlanta has always moved top-Minor League talent to the majors whenever it is ready and 2010 NL ROY runner-up Jason Heyward will be joined this season by top prospect Freddie Freeman, a 2007 second-round draft pick who will play first base. The Braves also added second baseman Dan Uggla (hit at least 31 HR in four straight seasons) from the Marlins in a November trade, and the latest out of spring camp reported Chipper Jones will be brought to home plate in 2011 by-wheelbarrow.

Florida (80-82)
The Marlins unofficially played in front of a total of 440 fans last season, but this isn't about making fun of Marlins' crowds. We'll save that for our daily coverage during the season. This is about a blog writer admittedly knowing very little about a baseball team and trying to fake it in a season preview. Here goes:

* Hanley!
* Josh Johnson!
* Wes Helms!
* Will Javy Vazquez, formerly a terrible pitcher (again) with the Yankees, return to his I Only Pitch Well In The NL form? Does anyone even care?

New York (79-83)
Everyone likes to pick on the Mets because they aren't the Yankees and because they're terrible every year, but have they really been that bad? 2009 was a disaster (70-92), but last season they only finished four games under .500 and they had a winning record in every season from 2005-2008. So what are the reasons for all the pointing and laughing? Oh, wait, I know the reasons:

1. Up until Monday they still employed Oliver Perez and gave him $24 million the last two seasons while he was arguably the worst pitcher in baseball. They'll give him $12 million this season to work at the Chevron down the street from my apartment (speculation).
2. They gave Luis Castillo (career OPS+ of 92) nearly $19 million from '08-'10 and will give him $6 million this season to play for the Phillies.
3. Francisco Rodriguez
4. Omar Minaya
5. Wally Backman
6. They let Jeff Francoeur and his .293 on-base percentage come to the plate 447 times last season.
7. Lenny Dykstra

Washington (69-93)
No Stephen Strasburg. No Bryce Harper. But wait just a minute: the Nats signed Oliver Perez to a minor league contract! While Strasburg recovers from Tommy John and Harper bides his time in the minors (Offbase predicts a September call up), the Nats will hope their offense, led by Ryan Zimmerman (5.2 and 5.3 WAR the last two seasons) and new signee Jason Werth (7 years, $122 million!) can score enough runs to stay out of the cellar. Washington will also have to replace Adam Dunn, who hit 76 home runs and walked 193 times in two seasons in the nation's capital. And don't forget Roger Bernadina. He's on the roster too.

Strasburg Speaks

I somewhat blame myself for Stephen Strasburg's seemingly inevitable Tommy John surgery. My unhealthy man crush and unrealistic expectations must have put an ufair amount of pressure on him. Of course I assume he reads my little blog and read many of my dedicated posts to him. I should also point out that my ego is only two notches below Lex Luther on the Super Villain scale. Anyway, Strasburg had his cast removed about two weeks ago and had a little chit-chat with real media types on a conference call that I assume included an iPhone...

"I'm chalking this year up as a great success," Strasburg, 22, said in a 15-minute conference call with media members Tuesday afternoon from his San Diego home. "It's unfortunate for this to happen. But . . . I stirred up the baseball world well enough to have more people become Nats fans. And I know they're going to be there when I come back in a year."

He's right to some extent. I did hop on the Nats' bandwagon hoping to catch a National League version of the Rays in enough time to seem cool. I tried the same thing with the Brewers a few years ago but it didn't work out so well. Strasburg should bounce back just fine but let's keep in mind that it took Francisco Liriano two years to get close to his former self and the Nats' second best starter, Jordan Zimmermann, is just a year removed from his own TJ. But Strasburg remains optimistic about a speedy recovery...

"If I'm doing well, things could get sped up," he said. "There is a target date, but right now it's way too early [to talk about it]. It is a tough process, but I keep telling myself as each day goes by, I'm getting closer to being back out there battling and winning games."

I can't wait for his return. He was almost better than advertised in his first 12 professional starts. His 2.91 ERA was a little bloated according to his 2.10 FIP and the 12.18 K/9 is must see baseball. He's good for the game and great for Nationals' attendance. Godspeed young Jedi. Oh and Stras, I'd also appreciate if you left your over/under on Aroldis Chapman starts before his Tommy John in the comments. Thanks Stephen!

CJ Wilson Knows When Tommy John Surgery Is Needed

C.J. Wilson is enjoying his breakout season as a starting pitcher with the Texas Rangers with a 2.88 ERA but a 3.58 FIP. He's been good but also lucky with a .257 BABIP. What I didn't realize is that the left hander is also an expert on pitching mechanics. Wilson apparently called Stephen Strasburg's need for Tommy John surgery well before the first MRI...

"I was sitting in Baltimore [Saturday] watching and I said he needed Tommy John," Wilson said. "I saw it before it happened.

"I saw him moving his arm around, and then the way his arm was rebounding after his throw. When you see a guy with a healthy arm it just works a certain way. When you see something that isn't healthy, it's very obvious to the trained eye."

That's an impressive talent he has to foresee devastating elbow injuries before they happen. Of course, he goes on to say that every pitcher will get hurt except for Mariano Rivera because he has perfect mechanics. I suppose there's something to Wilson's theory though and he surely knows more about pitching than I do. We've all heard that the human arm isn't designed to throw a baseball and especially not 100 MPH. But I won't feel like a genius for predicting Aroldis Chapman's Tommy John surgery (it's September 19 and I will feel like a genius).

Wilson is familiar with the big TJ as he underwent the surgery in 2003. The Rangers pitched Wilson out of the bullpen until this year and it has work out well for them. As valuable as Wilson has been on the field, he might have some added value off the field where he has a knack for predicting injuries and successful surgeries...

"Everybody's going to get hurt eventually. Some guys, it's going to be their hip or their oblique or their ankle. People said Strasburg had perfect mechanics. He didn't.

"He'll be fine, though. He'll come back strong."

Dusty Baker think that quote is hilarious.

The Sky Fell: Stephen Strasburg Edition

It was fun while it lasted. The Washington Nationals ruined my morning by announcing The Phenom Stephen Strasburg has a "significant tear" in his ulnar collateral ligament which will likely send him to Doc Andrews for Tommy John surgery. This is easily the most disappointing news to come out of Washington D.C. since some political reference. I'm too distraught to even come up with a decent joke. Strasburg-Mania is likely to be shelved for 12-18 months after surgery and rehab. The good news is that he's still just 22-years-old and most pitchers come back almost as strong post TJ.

The bad news is the time that it takes to recover and return to effectiveness. Jordan Zimmermann made his first start last night for the Nats after a 399 day layoff from his Tommy John surgery. It wasn't pretty. He lasted 4 innings and surrendered 5 earned runs on 7 hits. Francisco Liriano had the surgery after the 2006 season and is just now returning to a resemblance of his former effectiveness. Josh Johnson might be the best case scenario for bandwagon jumping Nationals fans such as myself. Johnson went under the knife in August 2007 and returned to the mound in a speedy 11 months. In 47 starts between 2008-2009, he posted a 3.34 ERA and a 3.15 strikeout to walk ratio. This year, Johnson is having his best season with a 2.36 ERA which is right inline with his 2.53 FIP and he should contend for the NL Cy Young.

So is it reasonable to think Strasburg could be contending for the NL Cy Young by 2013 as a 25-year-old? I'd probably take that bet. His pure stuff is so devastating that if he only returns to live at 97 mph instead of 99, he will still make hitters looks foolish with his change up. But 2013 ain't next year and this is severely going to hurt his chase for Cy Young's win record and Nolan Ryan's strikeout record. I normally wouldn't care about such unlikely things except I'm such an impetuous gambler. My grandpa isn't going to be happy to learn I bet his house on Strasburg striking out 400 next season. Sure, I might have been caught up in the hype but I hedged my bet by taking the over 80 on Bryce Harper home runs next season. I'm not a fool.

The Sky Is Falling: Stephen Strasburg

It looks like freshman phenom/future Hall of Famer, Stephen Strasburg, will be headed to the disabled list for the second time this season. Yet, that collective exhale of breath you felt earlier did come from Washington D.C. Strasburg left Saturday's game in the 5th inning after grimacing from an apparent arm injury. Early half-glass-emptiers suspected Strasburg may have torn a tendon which would result in surgery and a year layoff. From my quick math, that would be the equivalent to the strike-shortened 1994 season for the Montreal Expos. Almost certain financial doom, years in last place and eventual relocation to some crime laden southern city, let's say Virginia Beach.

But fortunately for the "fans" who sell out Nationals Park only when Strasburg pitches, the kid's tendon didn't fall out of his arm...

Strasburg strained a tendon in his right forearm over the weekend, and Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said Monday the team would "proceed with caution" with the prized pitcher.

If by "proceed with caution" you mean shut him down for the year, I completely agree with this decision. Sure the Expos Nats will lose some pretty good revenue from the one or two more home starts he could make this season but Strasburg has already thrown more innings than he did last year. Unless Dusty Baker is consulting on pitcher usage, it's time to shut the kid down and build toward next season.

The Sky is Falling
A second DL stint for the 22-year-old can't be exciting news. I'm no scout but I haven't heard or seen anything about a hitch in his mechanics that suggests a proneness to injuries. Hopefully it's just some randomness even though he said he pitched through a similar injury in college. As a hopeful new Nationals fan, I'm hoping he shrugs this off and cruises past Cy Young's win record and Nolan Ryan's strikeout record in the next, um, 30 or so years of world dominance. As a glass-half-empty guy (what?, I'm thirsty), I'm afraid of a Ben McDonald/Mark Prior fall from relevance.

Let's all hope for the best because he's good for baseball. 92 strikeouts in 68 innings as a rookie is exciting stuff. I should know, I struck out 68 hitters over 3 months in the summer of 1991. I threw a devastating Wiffle Ball slurve.

[awesome drawing from Francis Hogan via Fedral Baseball]

Anibal Sanchez's Golden Sombrero

A golden sombrero is awarded to a player who manages to strike out four times in a single game (real golden sombrero not included). It's quite the feat unless you're Ryan Howard or Mark Reynolds. Unfortunately, cycles and no-hitters are all the rage nowadays. Not for me, though. I will pour over the box scores to bring you the finest at swinging and missing.

I've become a little burnt out writing about Golden Sombreros since they come at such a fast and furious pace this summer. But a pitcher wearing the giant hat, that kind of rekindles my fire. I can't remember the last time a pitcher stuck around long enough to achieve 4 strikeout greatness nor do I care to look it up. Any help, Jayson Stark?

The Marlins' pitcher tossed a no-hitter on my birthday (9/6) in 2006 but has had a turbulent career since then. He had the daunting task of opposing the Phenom Stephen Strasburg in his much anticipated return from the disabled list. Strasburg wasn't sharp and Sanchez clearly won the strikeout duel. Anibal struck out 7 while adding his own 4 into the equation, nearly making my head explode.

Usually the pitcher isn't the star, so let's get to the special edition and see how Sanchez was involved in strike outs left and right...

Top 3rd: Sanchez struck out swinging against Stephen Strasburg. It only took Strasburg 3 pitches to strikeout Sanchez and then the next pitch was doubled to deep right by Hanley Ramirez. I know this post is supposed to be about Sanchez but I have Strasburg fever. I'm seeking a cure. I've heard more cowbell might help.

Top 4th: Sanchez struck out swinging against Strasburg again. It was also on another 3 straight pitches. Who's guessing Sanchez figures Strasburg out in his next at bat?

Top 5th: Sanchez struck out looking against Strasburg. He got the count to 2-1 before fouling off a ball and striking out looking. I think he walked back to the dugout feeling pretty good about himself. Sanchez did count for 3 of Strasburg's 4 strikeouts on the day.

Top 7th: Sanchez struck out looking against Craig Stammen.

That's a pretty good day in my book. It's rare to strike out that much on offense and defense.

The Sky Is Falling: Strasburg Edition

There is panic in the streets of Washington tonight. Mass hysteria of epic proportions. I'm actually writing this from under my school desk after I duct taped sheets of plastic to all of my windows. Stephen Strasburg was scratched from his start tonight against the Braves. Prior to the game, Strasburg had trouble getting loose. He didn't feel any pain but that was enough for GM Mike Rizzo to pull the plug on Strasburg's 10th start...

"I pulled the plug on it," Rizzo said. "Precautionary move. Erring on the side of caution, I just didn't want him to go out there when he was struggling to get loose in the bullpen pregame."

snip

"He did understand," Rizzo said. "Those are the decisions I get paid to make. We're going to err on the side of caution. I'll make the decisions and take the heat for it. He's a very competitive person. The decision was made by me, and he's fine."

Strasburg will have X-Rays and MRIs and possibly the scientists who invented him take a look at the pitching phenom.

Shot Of The Night

Shot Of The Night is Off Base Percentage's toast to a player who had an exceptionally good or bad night. There's always a reason to drink.

Tonight's shot of the night is a National Cocktail: 2 oz rum, 3 dashes apricot brandy, 1/2 oz pineapple juice, 3 dashes lime juice. Sure it's a drink instead of a shot but I'm working of a theme here. Just drink it fast. It's in honor of Adam Dunn who has been getting plenty of love from this segment recently.

Dunn went 3-4 with 2 more home runs and 3 RBI raising his slash line to .285/.370/.593. The 30-year-old could be quite the trade bait this season if the Nats don't decide to lock him up long term. Which probably isn't a bad idea. More importantly, he provided some much needed offense for Sir Stephen Strasburg. In fact, in the last shot of the night when Dunn hit 3 home runs, I joked...

When reached for comment, Stephen Strasburg said, "Couldn't you save like one of those home runs for my start?"

Turns out Dunn wasn't all out of power yet, which leads me to...

Honorable Mention: Stephen Strasburg
I've been Internet free (which makes me surprisingly shaky) so not only did I not preview the Strasburg start but I missed the entire thing. Miss me on Twitter? Anyway, Strasburg rebounded from a couple of less than Hall of Fame starts to get his 3rd career win. Only 509 to go! Strasburg went 6 strong giving up 3 hits, 1 walk and 1 earned. He also struck out another 8. But I'm sure Evan Meek will be every bit as exciting in the ASG.

I'll catch up on some posts for you guys tomorrow, including any missed Sombreros.

Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu is Off Base Percentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy: Mike LaVailliere

All right boys and girls and mainly shut-ins, I'll be handling Jobu for Derwood today while he's out having fun. I lost the Rock, Paper, Scissor contest when I fired off double birds and claimed Stone Cold Steve Austin beats Rock. Then I got disqualified for making a bad wrestling joke. Let's try to shake that off and go to some baseball.

Nationals 6, Mets 5. Strasburg got off to a rough start walking 3 in the first inning. He made it through 5 innings and allowed 2 runs while striking out 5. The Nats would get him off the hook and win it when K-Rod completely melted down in the 9th. K-Rod pitched 1/3 of an inning and gave up 3 walks, 3 hits and 3 runs. And had this to say...

"The freakin' worst performance I ever had in my entire life," K-Rod said. "I should be ashamed of myself. So embarrassing."

I'd like add that you should also be ashamed of that beard.

Tigers 6, Mariners 1. Verlander cruised through 7 innings while striking out 10 and only allowing 1 earned run. The win moves the Tigers into a first place tie in the Central. The loss gets Cliff Lee one game closer to getting his escape from Seattle.

Yankees 11, Blue Jays 3. The Yanks exploded for all 11 runs in the 3rd inning led by an improbable grand slam by Brett Gardner. Even Teixeira chipped in going 2-3 with 2 RBI. His batting average then skyrocketed to .236. Kendry Morales still has a higher WAR than Tex despite missing over an entire month. Just sayin. Jose Bautista hit his major league leading 21st home run of the season. When reached for comment, Chris Shelton mumbled some expletives and said, "It won't last."

Royals 4, Angels 2. Bruce Chen retired the first 18 Angels he faced and Jeff Mathis hit a home run. Nothing in this game made any sense. In fact, you had to watch this game through one of those pinhole eclipse viewers to prevent going blind. Wilson Betemit, 0-4.

Giants 11, Rockies 8. The offensive juggernaut know as the San Francisco Giants roughed up NL Cy Young leader Ubaldo Jimenez to the tune of 7 earned runs over 6 innings. Zito wasn't much better allowing 6 runs over 5+ innings. But the next 4 Rockies' pitchers were outclassed by the next 5 Giants' pitchers to earn the win.

Strasburg Returns To No Walk Zone Washington

After getting roughed up on the road in Atlanta, Hall of Fame rookie phenom, Stephen Strasburg, takes the mania back to home sweet Washington to face the Mets. Strasburg gave up 3 runs against the Braves and continued his road walking woes by giving 2 hitters a free pass. That raises Strasburg's walk total to 7, all on the road. I really hope Washington finds a way to only pitch him at home from now on because I put a lot of money on under 10 career walks for Strasburg. Don't worry, I hedged my bet by taking over of 8,000 career strikeouts. Vegas is such a sucker.

The Mets are right in the middle of the league in strikeouts which is surprising for a lineup that includes Jeff Francoeur. Also, who is Josh Thole and why is Alex Cora still in the majors? The Mets are in the bottom third of the league in walks which makes sense for a lineup that includes Jeff Francoeur.

The Mets will start R.A. Dickey against Strasburg. This should be fun. Strasburg might actually throw twice as hard as the knuckleballer. Strasburg has big strikeout numbers but has yet to hang a Golden Sombrero on anyone. I think that changes today. Francoeur seems almost too obvious so I'm putting Ruben Tejada on watch. As always, you can join me on Twitter for the event and you can watch it live on Fox. See, Fox isn't that stupid. They made Strasburg the Saturday game. They gave Gordon Ramsey like 9 shows but at least they got this game right.

Beavis' Adventures At Turner Field: Strasburg Edition

Being a season ticket holder to the Atlanta Braves is paying straight dividends for the 2010 season. I watched Jason Heyward pummel a home run for his first major league hit on opening day, the amazing come from behind victory over Cincinnati, compliments of Brooks Conrad's walk-off grand slam and as the Braves took first place, we celebrated just as drunken baseball fans should. Last night was one of those nights! With Stephen Strasburg making his fifth major league start, second road start, I wanted a front row seat. I think everyone in Atlanta was thinking the same thing. The place was packed.

Everywhere I went at the stadium I kept hearing the same thing, Strasburg! In line for beer: Strasburg. Smoking a cigarette: Strasburg. It was a complete Strasburg hard-on fest! The feeling was mixed. People wanted to see him succeed and the rest wanted to see him fail. That's what makes a player like Strasburg so great for baseball. Everyone was there to see him!

I witnessed something last night at Turner Field that I've never witnessed before. The fans in Atlanta are far from your battery throwing, first base coach ass whipping fans that other parks are blessed with. It seems to take a little more to get the stands fired up with excitement. Every time Strasburg prepared to throw the place got loud. It's like they were testing him. The longer he pitched the louder they got. Its like everyone in the stadium wanted to see what he could do when the pressure was on.

He pitched a great game but, unfortunately it takes more then a great outing to win a ballgame. I go to Turner Field enough to know how to get away with seat jumping. For the entire 5th, 6th and 7th innings, I managed to get about 10 rows behind home plate for the only offensive gain of the game. This kid is impressive. I can't help to wonder though, if the fans in Atlanta can get that loud for 1-1, 1 out pitch, then he's gonna have some tough road trips pitching in places with rabid fans like New York, Chicago and Philly.

The guy is Strasburg! No nickname needed. He needs to come out to the mound with Goldbergs entrance music and let the crowd chant his name the same way. STRAAAASBURG, STRAAAASBURG, STRAAAASBURG!

If Strasburg is coming to your town, buy a ticket!

Shot Of The Night

Shot Of The Night is Off Base Percentage's toast to a player who had an exceptionally good or bad night. There's always a reason to drink.

Tonight's shot of the night is a Big Red: 1/2 oz Irish cream, 1/2 oz Goldschlager® cinnamon schnapps. And it's in honor of Scott Rolen.

There were plenty of people who crushed the Rolen trade, myself included. All Rolen has done this year is post his second highest OPS at .937 while cranking out home runs left and right. Nice to be back in the NL, eh? Rolen blasted his 17th homer of the season to lead the Reds to a 43-34 record, good for a half of a game lead in the NL Central. I was kind of hoping The Big Red would be 1/3 Everclear, 1/3 Big Red Gum, 1/3 Joe Morgan nonsense.

Honorable Mention: Johnny Cueto
I realize I'm double dipping here but it's really hard to find multiple players to fit the same shot. Cueto improved his record to 8-2 while pitching 8 innings and only giving up 1 run. He also walked 2 and struck out none. I thought he was a strikeout pitcher but what do I know? I bet the over on 135 strikeouts for Strasburg's first 5 starts.

UPDATE: MLB.com just shot me an email to remind me that Scott Rolen's home run was the 300th of his career. MLB.com is my cousin Steve's nickname.

Strasburg Takes The Show To Atlanta

Strasburg-Mania goes on the road for just the second time this season when it whips through Atlanta like tornado through your mom's trailer park. Strasburg will make his fifth start and try to rebound after suffering his first loss while pitching 6 innings, striking out 9, walking zero and giving up 1 earned against the Royals. Nice work on the run support, Nats. Now he can only go 400-1. Pfft. I like how his first two road start came against the Indians and now the Braves. Coincidence or is Riggleman racist against Native American?

Strikeouts and Walks
The Bravos are actually right in the middle of the pack when it comes to striking out. The surprising, to me, fact is the Braves lead the league in walks by over 20. That will be something to watch for tonight. Strasburg has walked 5 batters in his 4 starts and they all came on the road against Cleveland.

Phenom vs. Phenom
Unfortunately, the Phenom versus Phenom match up will have to wait. Coming into this season, Strasburg and Jason Heyward were the top two prospects in baseball according to Baseball America. Heyward has been holding up his part of the bargain. Already one of the Braves' best players, Heyward has 11 home runs while hitting .251/.366/.455 as a 20-year-old. But Heyward has a thumb injury that will keep him from hitting against Strasburg tonight. It's a shame because Heyward has a Platinum Sombrero and a Golden Sombrero this season. The strikeout potential had me giddy.

Off Base Coverage
As you know by now, I gots the Strasburg fever. So you can join me over at Twitter and take shots with me every time Strasburg strikes someone out swinging. We also hope to have a guest writer covering the game live tonight. He drinks a lot of beer so only half of the post might be in coherent English but it should be entertaining nonetheless. Look for that tomorrow.

Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu is Off Base Percentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy: Rod Beck



Royals 1, Nationals 0. This Stephen Strasburg youngster is going to be alright. The Washington offense, on the other hand, reportedly will be played by the Espinoza Nine in an upcoming feature film. Strasburg set another rookie record, picking up 41 strike outs in his first four starts (Herb Score's 40 was the old record). Sadly, the Nats could only get six singles against the Royals, which is the equivalent of getting six handshakes on prom night, and Strasburg, despite nine Ks and one earned run, Riggleman'd for the first time in his young career. Wilson Betemit: DNP.

Phillies 7, Indians 6. Jimmy Rollins, who correctly predicted the Phillies would win last year's World Series in five games, hit the first walk-off home run of his career to help the Phils beat the apendage formerly referred to in conversations as Kerry Wood's right arm. Shin-Soo Choo belted two home runs (his first since June 1) for the Indians, who have lost eight of nine.

Mets 5, Tigers 0. R.A. Dickey is pitching like it's....well, he's......R.A. Dickey is pitching well in 2010. The knuckleballer, who was terrible in nearly all of his 442 2/3 innings through 2009, went eight scoreless Wednesday and has now given up two runs or less in five of his seven starts.

Whitesox 4, Braves 2. Let's bring back KenHarrelsonVoice™ for this one:

"Well, the good guys had to sit through a rain delay before this one, nearly two hours, tell you what. The crew's pick to click during the rain delay was Murray, 7th from the left on the tarp. Atta boy Murray. The bad guys took the lead in the second on a duck snort, but the Sox came back. Pauly with a little bingo, singled in Vizzy, then Carlos put it on the board eeeeeee-s, then later he put it on the board eeeeee-s again. Big night for Carlos, Wimpy's pick to click. In the 9th, Jenkser came in and did what the Jenkser does: he gone! Good guys 4, bad guys 2."

Strasburg Versus, Um, The Royals?

Are you kidding me? How did Strasburg's schedule end up being Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago and Kansas City. They're a combined 115-165. I haven't checked Strasburg's next start but I'm pretty sure he's pitching against the writing staffs of Off Base, The Dugs and that guy who sold me a bag of oranges on the freeway.

Just like last week though, I was stunned to learn that the Kansas City Royals are the second to last team in strikeouts this season. The White Sox do the least swinging and missing but they still managed to strikeout 10 times against K-Stras™ last week. Then I fell out of my chair when Baseball-Reference told me that the Royals have the highest team batting average in baseball. How many guesses would it have taken you before you got to the Royals for highest BA? 14-ish?

Of course, all of those stats are moot when you go against the greatest pitcher in the history of everything. Like always, I'll be live Tweeting his outing. Come join me at @MnkysThrwngDrts, I'll be the one taking a shot every time Strasburg strikes somebody out swinging.

The Lake Erie LeBrons

Minor league baseball is just plain fun. Thirsty Thursdays, Keg Stand Sundays, Fall Down Drunk Fridays. It's generally a good excuse to stop drinking and get out of the tub to go drinking. They also come up with some of the wackiest promotions this side of Bill Veeck*. The Lake Erie Crushers are doing their part to keep basketball's Stephen Strasburg equivalent, LeBron James, in town during the "Keep LBJ in the C-L-E Night" promotion next week...

The Crushers will wear Cavaliers-themed jerseys June 30 and each player will wear No. 6 to honor James' switch from No. 23. The team is renaming its park LeBron James Field at All Pro Freight Stadium for the game. Anyone named LeBron gets free tickets.

But there's more! The Crushers are prepared to offer LeBron a league maximum contract worth $1600 per week. The contract also comes with a host family like in the movie Sugar. They'll teach him English and cook him breakfast.

Wait. Anyone named LeBron gets in for free? That's just fantastic. The ghost of Bill Veeck has to be behind this. Are there going to be midgets too?

*Crucial Bill Veeck quotes.

"What can I do, I asked myself, that is so spectacular that no one will be able to say he had seen it before? The answer was perfectly obvious. I would send a midget up to bat."

"There are only two seasons - winter and Baseball."

"I try not to kid myself. You know, I don't mind romancing someone else, but to fool yourself is pretty devastating and dangerous."

When I start the Off Base book club, Veeck - As In Wreck might be the first one up.

Strasburg Back In World Dominant Form

If you really want to nitpick, Strasburg's last start in Cleveland was less than stellar. He walked five (5) batters, people! He still struck out 7 and gave up only one earned in 5.1 innings. His return to the friendly confines of Nationals Park would go much better than his Cleveland trip. Even President Obama made it out to watch him pitch because, you know, there's not too much going on right now.

When I previewed this game earlier, I was pretty stunned to learn the White Sox had struck out the fewest times as a team in MLB. But strange things happen when a 21-year-old kid takes the mound and throws a 100 MPH fastball and a 91 MPH change up. Strasburg gave up a swinging bunt, infield single to Juan Pierre and a bloop single to Omar Vizquel to open the game. Then he retired 15 straight while striking out 9. He didn't get a decision but a 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K stat line is pretty solid world domination. Let's take a look at those K's in tonight's strikeout rewind.

Top 1st:
Strasburg struck out Paul Konerko swinging. Get used to the word "swinging." You might see it a couple more times.

Strasburg struck out Carlos Quentin swinging. See, I wasn't kidding.

Top 2nd:
Strasburg struck out Gordon Beckham swinging. Tonight won't be the night Beckham breaks out of his slump.

Top 3rd:
Strasburg struck out Gavin Floyd looking. The reason Floyd struck out looking is because he was about 5 feet away from the plate. If he did swing, the ump didn't see it.

Strasburg struck out Juan Pierre swinging. 3 pitches.

Top 4th:
Strasburg struck out Alex Rios swinging. 3 pitches.

Strasburg struck out Quentin swinging again.

Top 5th:
Strasburg struck out Alexie Ramirez swinging. Who didn't see that coming?

Strasburg struck out Beckham swinging again.

Top 6th:
No strikeouts this inning but I thought it was funny that Gavin Floyd would be the one to break up Strasburg's streak of 15 straight retired batters. An AL pitcher, sure, why not?

Top 7th:
Strasburg struck out Ramirez swinging again. 3 pitches.

Strasburg threw an efficient 85 pitches, 59 for strikes, over 7 innings. He also now owns the record for most strikeouts (32) for a pitcher in his first 3 games. Let's recap.

Strasburg's first 3 starts: 19.1 IP, 2-0, 1.86 ERA, 32 strikeouts, 5 walks.

For comparison, Mark Prior's first 3 starts: 15.2 IP, 1-2, 5.74 ERA, 22 strikeouts, 7 walks.

How about another one? Dwight Gooden's first 3 starts: 13.1 IP, 1-1, 4.73 ERA, 16 strikeouts, 9 walks.

This next one is pretty crazy, ready? Nineteen-year-old Felix Hernandez's first 3 starts: 21 IP, 2-1, 0.86 ERA, 21 strikeouts, 3 walks. Yikes.

I could do this all night. Damn you, Baseball-Reference. My point, I think, is that we're entering into one of those special breakout seasons that only come along every so often. So take off work on days that Strasburg pitches (I suggest calling in with the plague, do you know how contagious that is?). If he's coming to your city, get your tickets now. But most importantly, read all of my Strasburg posts.