Now that Stephen Strasburg has been shut down for the season by Washington, the Nationals are pretty much toast when it comes to winning in the playoffs, right?
Not necessarily.
Strasburg, who went 15-6 with a 3.16 ERA in his first full season since Tommy John elbow surgery in 2010, was shut down after throwing 159.1 innings to avoid straining his pitching arm and suffering another injury.
Although Strasburg would play a key role in Washington's postseason rotation, the Nationals appear to be set up for a long run in the playoffs with their current starters.
Washington has three starting pitchers who rank in the top 10 in ERA in the National League, not including Strasburg. That's two more than current playoff contenders Cincinnati, San Francisco and St. Louis have. And one leads the majors in wins.
Gio Gonzalez (19-8, 2.95 ERA) had the most wins in the majors going into Wednesday's game. Jordan Zimmerman (10-8, 3.01) and Ross Detwiler (9-6, 3.16) combine with Gonzalez to make up a strong trio of arms that could take the Nationals to the World Series.
And don't count out Edwin Jackson (9-10, 3.89) or John Lannan (3-0, 2.41).
Since Strasburg was shut down after a poor outing against Miami on Sept. 7, the Nationals went 4-4 in their next eight games. But that slight letdown may have been due to having a big lead in the NL East.
Once the playoffs start, Washington's starting pitchers will be able to at least match any of the other postseason teams' rotations.
Carpenter set to return: St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter will make his first start of the season on Friday against the Chicago Cubs. Carpenter had surgery in July to relieve nerve compression that resulted in numbness on much of the right side of his body.
"Our training staff did a great job. Our doctors did a great job. And I worked my butt off to try to get back there," Carpenter told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Carpenter, 37, went 11-9 with a 3.45 ERA last season when the Cardinals won the World Series. Before his most recent health issue, Carpenter went 44-22 with a 2.99 ERA in three full seasons after undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery in 2007.
He's now ready to try to get the Cardinals back into the postseason. St. Louis held the second NL wild-card slot on Wednesday, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers by 1 1/2 games.
"I've pitched in plenty of games that mattered," Carpenter said. "I'm going out there with the same focus."
Escobar's slur: Toronto shortstop Yunel Escobar has been suspended three games without pay by the club for displaying a gay slur on his eye black during a game. Escobar wore the eye black with the slur written in Spanish during Saturday's game against Boston.
"I'm sorry for the actions of the other day," Escobar said through a translator during a news conference at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.
"It was not something I intended to be offensive. It was something I just put on the sticker on my face as a joke. I don't have anything against homosexuals. I have friends who are gay."
StatsWatch: Baseball's biggest run producers (through Tuesday):
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers, 129 RBI
Josh Hamilton, Rangers, 123 RBI
Josh Willingham, Twins, 106 RBI
Ryan Braun, Brewers, 104 RBI
Chase Headley, Padres, 104 RBI
Diamond Notes: Texas Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis, who has been out since having elbow surgery in July, has agreed to a $2 million, one-year contract extension for next season...Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw visited a specialist in New York who confirmed that Kershaw is suffering from right hip impingement, but he could pitch without risking further damage to the hip.
Copyright © 2012 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.
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