Wednesday’s First Pitch: Strasburg pulled; Fat Farnsworth

Tweet

The races are tight.
Strasburg makes DC gasp more than Glenn Beck.
Another Phillies injury.

Leading Off
There hasn’t been this big a health scare in Washington DC since Bill Clinton gave us Jocelyn Elders.
All kidding aside, the Nationals probably did the right thing with their investment: Panic.
They didn’t force him to the mound and an injury question didn’t become an injury issue.
We can be sure the Nationals will be very cautious, even after tests said Strasburg was OK.

Player of the Day

Houston’s Brett Myers is pitching for a playoff spot. No, not for the Astros, who continue to be woeful. Myers, who struck out 12, might be the most likely starting pitcher to move before the trade deadline passes.

Regional Roundup

• He sure pitched like Stephen Strasburg. Maybe even better.
• Looking at the Phillies trade options. The Phillies ran their winning streak to six. But they’ve got another injury to worry about: Shane Victorino.
• Who knew the Blue Jays were this good? They’re 11-0 against the Orioles. And yes, a sweep is possible.
• Yep, the Pirates are a lot better than the Orioles.

Chasing Jamie

As of right now, the Orioles have a .310 winning percentage. They are more than 20 games back of fourth place in the American League East.
FOURTH PLACE.
O’s fans can take solace, however. The team is on pace for 50 wins, which is more wins than Jamie Moyer will have had birthdays.

Best of Rest

• Remember Carl Pavano? He’s 13-6 with a 3.21 ERA. He’s won 11 straight games.
• When will the Yankees learn they have to give up on Joba Chamberlain? He’s just a fat Kyle Farnsworth.
• The Red Sox got a boost from John Lackey.
• The Reds and Cardinals are knotted up again.

Batter’s Eye

• Do teams really get a lot when they trade away aces?

Wisdom from Springfield

A thought-provoking quote from the Southpaw’s favorite animated show, “The Simpsons.”

Lisa: Mom, I know dad cares about you, but his feelings are really hurt. Why don’t you just say you’re sorry?
Marge: Lisa, marriage is a beautiful thing, but it’s also a constant battle for moral superiority. So I can’t apologize.

Today in history, from baseball-reference.com

1890– Giants’ pitcher Mickey Welch beats the Pirates, 4-2, to become baseball’s third 300-game winner

1983– American League president Lee MacPhail decides George Brett’s ‘Pine Tar’ home run should count. The remainder of the game will played on August 18 with the Royals beating the Yankees, 5 – 4

What to watch on YouTube

The Southpaw wastes time finding gems on Youtube so you don’t have to.

Did the narrator really say “Fudge it?”

The Closer

As we move toward August, one thing is worth noticing: Only one division has a second place team more than four games back. That is the West, which has the Angels and Athletics eight back of the Rangers.
Of baseball’s 32 teams, 16 still have legitimate shots for the playoffs.
This could get interesting, which would only be good for baseball.

Tweet