Nationals’ pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg is coming off his worst outing, and it’s still pretty darn good.
So should the Nationals bring him to D.C. or send him packing? One baseball "expert" is actually promoting the idea of trading the 21-year-old stud.
Strasburg threw five innings Monday night for the Nationals Class AAA team, the Syracuse Chiefs. He was not unhittable. Brace yourself -- Strasburg actually gave up five hits, and one earned run.
The latest start may end up being the most encouraging. Instead of blowing opponents away, Strasburg actually had to work out of jams and still finished with a stat line most pitchers would be proud of.
He still struck out five, and he now has a miniscule 0.99 ERA in his four starts for the Chiefs. Now the question is whether there will be a fifth?
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Rumors have been swirling for weeks that Strasburg will be called up to the Nationals to start the team's June 4 home game against Cincinnati. But the team is heading west, and if Strasburg leaves with them, he could pitch after five days of rest in his hometown of San Diego, where he played college ball for San Diego State.
Bringing up Strasburg sooner rather than later would provide an instant boost for a team that is already in the thick of the Wild Card hunt.
The Nationals are one game over .500 and many experts are throwing Washington out as a possible landing spot for ace pitcher Roy Oswalt. The Astros’ star recently asked for a trade from the only team he’s ever played for.
Oswalt is a bona fide star whereas Strasburg is one in the making. For that reason, one baseball expert says the Astros should ask for Strasburg in any deal for Oswalt.
Former Mets’ General Manager (emphasis on “former”) Steve Phillips made a comment that quickly earned him a bashing in the blogosphere. He told a New York radio host he would trade Stephen Strasburg for Roy Oswalt if he ran the Nationals.
We think all Nationals fans are thinking the same thing -- thank goodness he doesn’t.
