Strasburg Done for Year

You have an 86-53 record with a 6.5 game lead in your division, if there are no injuries, why would you change your pitching rotation? Ask the Washington Nationals. Manager Davey Johnson announced this morning that starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg is done for the year because he reached his innings pitched limit due to his Tommy John Surgery last year.

Strasburg, coming off Tommy John surgery, has a 15-6 record with a 3.16 ERA and 197 strikeouts on the year. His numbers are remarkable and is playing his best he ever has. Strasburg was the number 1 overall draft pick on 2009 with hopes of being the face of the Nats and leading them to a championship. He was en route of doing that, but now he has to watch his team perform from the bench. In the beginning of the season, Washington announced that they will take special care of Strasburg’s arm and be on a strict inning count for the season and when he reaches, he will be shutdown. Little did they know, the nationals are a top team in the NL. There are 3 weeks left in the season and then the playoffs, all of which Strasburg will not see any time.

If you ask me, I feel that this is one of the dumbest moves a team could make, especially when a team has a shot at a title. Early in the season I predicted the Nationals to be a top team but now I feel they will struggle without Strasburg. I understand the whole saving the arm thing, but not in this situation. If the team wanted to shut him down, they should have given him a break mid-season, or if they want to do it now, have him rest and allow him to pitch in the postseason. This is poor planning by management and Stephen Strasburg should be marching into his manager’s office every day asking to pitch. If Strasburg was to somehow come back, the Nats and Reds could be a great NLCS showdown, without him, they will not go far

Ray
@raymalaspina

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