Strasburg Jaw-Droppingly Good in Debut

Wow. That is really the only way to describe what was seen on Tuesday night before a sell-out crowd at Nationals Park. One bad pitch was roped into the right field seats, and besides that, he was nearly unhittable. Strasburg retired the last 7 batters all by strikeout, and with every pitch the crowd grew more electric. The three pitches he features were unlike anything any Pirate hitter had ever seen before. "You see a lot of pitchers who throw like 97-98, but hes got everything- a nasty curve, a changeup," said Pirates shortstop Roger Cedeno. "His changeup is like 89-90-91 miles an hour, man. That's hard to hit." Of course Cedeno wasn't the only Pirate hitter baffled at home plate, there were 13 other strikeout victims. It is pretty safe to say that Sunday's start against the Indians will be even more hyped up than the last, considering everyone has now seen the phenom pitch. Welcome to D.C. Mr. Strasburg, and please, never leave.

Nats Desperately in Need of Help; Comes in Strasburg Tomorrow

After a promising April and a good half of May, the Washington Nationals were hovering around first place in the N.L. East. The last few weeks have not been kind to Riggleman's troops. After a 20-15 start ending with a pummeling the Rockies at Coors Field, the Nats have lost 16 of their past 23 games, and are a season high 4 games below .500. Could there be a better time for their phenom pitcher to make his Major League debut? Absolutely not. Tomorrow is the biggest day in the history of Nationals Park, and everyone will be watching. The MLB network will cover the game, and Baseball Tonight will be live from Nationals Park on ESPN. A strong start from Strasburg and a win tomorrow could jump start this team to make a run. The Pirates, Indians, White Sox, Royals, and Orioles loom on their schedule the rest of the month. These are 5 bad teams, and it isn't like the Nats have been getting blown out lately. They keep losing one run heart breakers, and that is bound to change soon. Whenever they hit, the bullpen can't keep a lead. Whenever they get strong pitching, the hitting is absent. Tune in tomorrow for Strasburg's first start, and hopefully a good one that gets the Nats rolling in the right direction.

Skins Still Bottom Feeders in the Beast

There is a lot of hope surrounding the Redskins these days, just like every other team in D.C. The Redskins have definitely improved this offseason, but they still have so much work to do to get better. With Shanahan at the helm the Redskins are clearly going in the right direction. However, this will not be the year they leap the Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles. I still think the Cowboys and Giants are far above the Skins, with experienced and proven quarterbacks in Romo and Manning. The Eagles have Kolb behind center now, but have much less holes on their ball club. The Skins still have a borderline abysmal offensive line, with only Derrick Dockery a proven one. You could say Casey Rabach is too, but he is a mediocre and old center. Trent Williams was a gamble with the 4th pick and we are going to have to wait to see how that works out. It does not matter who is behind center if the offensive line won't block, and that could spell early injury for number 5. There is only one position on the offensive side of the ball that the Redskins are deeper than anyone in the division. With Cooley and Fred Davis, the Skin's tight ends could give fits to opposing defenses with their recieving abilities. However, neither is known for their blocking. The Redskins might also have the worst defense in the division. The Cowboys defense was great down the stretch last season, and the Eagles is always formidable. The Giants are the only question mark, but have made more moves on that side of the ball than the Skins have. Bad safety play and a questionable pass rush could spell doom for Haslett's troops. Expect the Redskins to be much more competitive in the division, but finish 7-9 and last place in the Beast.