Nats Strasberg is Back !

[cj's dad]

In his return since Tommy John surgery, he pitched 5 very solid innings. He gave up 0 runs, 2 hits, 4 KO's and had a pitch count of 56 of which (I think) 40 were strikes. Left leading 3-0.

Glad to see him return healthy. He was not hitting 103 mph as he did last year but he did nail a few 97-98's and his change was a back breaker.

He is a joy to watch and I am thankful for being able to watch him.

The game has just been tied by the Dodgers. A no decision for SS.

[cj's dad]

Pitched last night- 7 innings, 5 hits, 1 earned run. Averagevelocity of his fastball was 97 mph.

He's fun to watch.

[Valuist]

He should've lost, however. Cubs bullpen blows up late. Dempster pitched a great game and deserved a better fate.

[cj's dad]

He should've lost, however. Cubs bullpen blows up late. Dempster pitched a great game and deserved a better fate.

Should have lost ? The Cubs bullpen has ZERO to do with how SS pitched.

[Valuist]

Should have lost ? The Cubs bullpen has ZERO to do with how SS pitched.

The team should've lost. He was trailing 1-0 when he left the game. Don't get me wrong; Strasbourg pitched well enough to win most games. But it took a complete meltdown by Kerry Wood (3 walks in 1/3 inning) for the Nats to get the win.

[Striker]

I was at the game yesterday and the wind was blowing in like crazy otherwise Zimmerman would have gone yard twice and Soriano would have had one also. That said Dempster outpitched Strasburg as he gave up 2 hits with 1 being the very first pitch of the game and had 10 K's. I didn't follow the pitch count but I put this loss right on the manager Sveum as I thought there was no way you pull Dempster with 2 outs to go in the 8th when he made the change. Everyone knows the Cubs have no bullpen. Strasburg pitched well but he was EASILY outpitched by Dempster yesterday but at the end of the day all that matters is which team got the W.

[Valuist]

I was at the game yesterday and the wind was blowing in like crazy otherwise Zimmerman would have gone yard twice and Soriano would have had one also. That said Dempster outpitched Strasburg as he gave up 2 hits with 1 being the very first pitch of the game and had 10 K's. I didn't follow the pitch count but I put this loss right on the manager Sveum as I thought there was no way you pull Dempster with 2 outs to go in the 8th when he made the change. Everyone knows the Cubs have no bullpen. Strasburg pitched well but he was EASILY outpitched by Dempster yesterday but at the end of the day all that matters is which team got the W.

108 pitches for Dempster. Being it was his first start of the year, I don't think Sveum had a choice. How about the decision to send the pinch runner home on the grounder to 3rd? Supposedly thats going to be their mantra. Run every time. Unless its a subpar third baseman, not a good idea IMO.

Must've been damned cold. According to the ESPN box, it was 41 degrees with a wind of 18 MPH. Definite wind chill territory.

[Striker]

108 pitches for Dempster. Being it was his first start of the year, I don't think Sveum had a choice. How about the decision to send the pinch runner home on the grounder to 3rd? Supposedly thats going to be their mantra. Run every time. Unless its a subpar third baseman, not a good idea IMO.

Must've been damned cold. According to the ESPN box, it was 41 degrees with a wind of 18 MPH. Definite wind chill territory.
Makes a little more sense now with that pitch count but Dempster was rolling. That combined with knowing how bad the bullpen is, he should have tried to finish the inning IMO. It was freezing and the wind adding to that. It was like mardi gras around wrigleyville. Most of the parking lots were all full which I have never had a problem getting into any parking lot for any cubs game at any time. One lot on Clark was charging $120 to park because they knew they had some of the only open spots left down there. We just laughed when he told us his price. I think lots of people were just partying at the local bars and not even going into the game.

[Bettowin]

Did it look like Strasburg has changed his delivery at all to protect his arm? Guys that throw over 100 mph don't usually last too long unless they have a real good delivery (Nolan Ryan). Wish him the best and hope his arm holds up.

[Valuist]

I think this guy is never going to live up to his hype. He's pitched poorly recently, and the smoke and mirrors remarks coming from the Nats organization is a joke. Handicappers, fantasy players, and general fans all believe this guy is hurt right now. Even if the velocity isn't down, he's been "wild" in the strike zone, and hitters are making him pay. A friend of mine says Strasburg is an automatic go-against due to the heavy odds from the hype. Overall, he's been correct.

[badcompany]

What's with all the Tommy John surgeries?

I don't remember so many Pitchers having these arm issues, when I was growing up.

[Marshall Bennett]

Most used to simply struggle through their pain and pitch (Koufax).
Now they sign a huge contract and then have it done.

[Robert Fischer]

It's hard.

Today's guys are so focused on velocity. If you have a problem with mechanics or a problem with your physical arm/shoulder, and you are trying to throw 100mph, that's a lot.

85-90mph is fine. Pitching is really about making batters hit bad balls. Timing and control (not only control of the location, but of the hitter and making the hitter hit balls that are not going anywhere). Of course, 100mph is a hell of a lot harder to time and the area that comprises 'bad balls' is a hell of a lot bigger

Hitting is really about hitting good balls.


But these guys that throw 100mph sure are electric.

[Valuist]

What's with all the Tommy John surgeries?

I don't remember so many Pitchers having these arm issues, when I was growing up.

They say it starts from far earlier in their careers. It used to be the top athletes would play other sports. Now everyone has to specialize, so you got guys pitching all year, for coaches at the HS and college level who want to win at all costs. If I had a son who was a top pitching prospect, I'd encourage him to hold off on college and go to the minors. ML teams protect their younger pitchers; colleges don't.

[badcompany]

Another:

NY Times:

"The tear in Whitley’s right elbow ligament will require season-ending Tommy John surgery on Tuesday, the Yankees announced after Whitley, who underwent a magnetic resonance imaging test Friday, had the results examined by the team physician, Christopher Ahmad. He will perform the surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital."