Strasburg sets record for K's to start career

[flvegan]

WASHINGTON -- Stephen Strasburg set a Major League record for strikeouts in a pitcher's first three starts on Friday against the White Sox in a game the Nationals would go on to lose, 2-1, in 11 innings.

The right-hander's 10 strikeouts gave him 32 in his first three starts and erased the previous record of 29, set by J.R. Richard. Strasburg's eighth strikeout, when he got Alexei Ramirez swinging on a 92-mph changeup for the second out in the top of the fifth, put him on top.

Richard set the old mark when he was beginning his career with Houston late in the 1971 season. The 6-foot-8 right-hander was a powerful pitcher who twice struck out more than 300 in a season, but his career was tragically cut short early after he suffered a stroke in 1980.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100618&content_id=11325792&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

I razz the Nationals and their fans...TZ, I'm looking at you, but this is an impressive kid. He deserves his kudos. Another good showing.

[El Supremo]

1. Wow! Burn out. n/m

[TZ]

2. He's been throwing like this since High School

I doubt that will happen, especially since the Nats are handling him very cautiously.

[TZ]

3. Too bad the Nats couldn't take advantage

Of his good performance though.:(. But I'm really impressed with his poise. He had a not great first inning but basically shrugged it off. With that even keel he ought to do very very well indeed.

[Bluzmann57]

4. Lost in the game vs. the Sox

The White Sox pitcher, Gavin Floyd, pitched a helluva game too. His last two starts have been hard luck starts. Sunday he took a no hitter into the seventh inning only to be outpitched by Ted Lilliy, and as mentioned, Friday night he pitched at least as well as Strasburg. Also lost in the hype over Strasburg is the fact that the Sox's first run was basically Strasburg's fault because he did not break off the mound early enough on a ground ball to first base with a speedy man running. So Juan Pierre was safe and went on to score later in the inning. If Strasburg covers first, Pierre is out and the run never scores.

[TZ]

6. Floyd is a good pitcher

But he's not a rookie. Nor does he throw as many strikes. Yes Strasburg made that mistake in the first inning. This is is THIRD major league game- he's still learning. You tell me how Mr. Floyd did in his first few games in the majors. The poise he shows as a 21 year old rookie cannot be overstated. I've seen pitchers who've been around 15 years who get rattled easier than this kid.

[Bluzmann57]

9. You need to lighten up

I wasn't ripping Strasburg, I merely pointed out facts. Personally, I think it's good to see him doing well. He may well save baseball in D.C. and that's not a bad thing. And as far as Floyd is concerned, I really don't care about him. I'm an extremely frustrated Cubs fan. Heck, Floyd and Strasburg would both look good in Cubby Blue, although they'd probably both lose 20 games because of lack of offense.

[Kingofalldems]

7. The Sox seem to know how to play small ball against a good pitcher

Sadly, the Nats don't. Swinging (and missing) for the fences every at bat. A leadoff hitter who can't bunt. Very frustrating for Nats fans.

[Dr Morbius]

8. The White Sox are a very well managed team.

Ozzie Guillen is one of the best in the business. Yes, he is a loudmouth extrovert with an occasionally abrasive personality. But he knows his baseball. The Sox have tended to contend under Guillen, and even won the whole thing once. I should admit at this point to being a south-sider at heart; there's no ballclub I love more than the Sox and none I'd rather defeat than the Cubs.

The Sox, meanwhile, continue to dominate the national league for some reason. They're still two games under .500, so they aren't yet worthy of getting excited about. But they've been playing well the last ten games or so, and over the last twenty have shown gradual improvement in all phases of the game. Beckham is starting to hit like he can; Paulie (Konerko) occasionally throws the team on his shoulders and powers them to victory; the pitching is beginning to gel. We shall see if they keep it up. The pitching talent is there.

[Kingofalldems]

5. Ozzie Guillen says Strasburg is the best pitcher in the NL

Too bad the Nats can't squeeze in a run when given the chance.