Stuck in D.C. traffic? Here's your daily morning roundup.
My thoughts on Stephen Strasburg's second start pretty much mirror Chris Needham's. Strasburg clearly didn't have his best stuff yesterday. He was erratic with his command and missed with a lot of his pitches. Some of that was the pitching mound, but a lot of it was Strasburg himself.
And yet, even despite all that, Strasburg only allowed two hits in five and a third innings. He struck out eight, and while none looked as impressive as some of his strikeouts against the Pirates, they were still strikeouts. And, of course, there's the bottom line, which is that the Nationals won the game. Sure, it was Cleveland, but Strasburg ultimately got the job done.
Like Chris wrote, if that's Strasburg at his worst, that might be more encouraging than Strasburg dominating.
Today's must-reads around the SB Nation network:
- There's a narrative unfolding in this year's Calder Cup, writes Japers Rink.
- The Wizards should buy some late first-round draft picks, writes Bullets Forever.
- Testudo Times' previews of the Maryland football team continues with a look at the offensive line.
- Chris Pontius lost his hat trick. Black and Red United wonders whether that was right.
- If you've recently become a Nationals fan because of Stephen Strasburg, this FanPost on Federal Baseball gives you a primer on what you need to know about the team.