The Washington Nationals have been taking all sorts of guff from fans around the league for their plan to shut down right-handed ace Stephen Strasburg a year after his Tommy John surgery. The Nationals haven't wavered; GM Mike Rizzo has sunglasses falling from the sky onto his face as he says the same thing over and over.
A couple of weeks ago, William Ladson tweeted the Nationals were likely to skip two or three of Strasburg's starts toward the end of the year. Via the Associated Press, manager Davey Johnson confirmed that initial report:
"I think it came out that with the off days we'd need another starter for I think two starts," Johnson said after talking with general manager Mike Rizzo. "I think two starts, might have been three."
The story has drawn national attention -- pun not intended, but I'm keeping it in and pointing it out -- because the Nationals have the best record in baseball and are likely to go to the playoffs, but they'll be without Strasburg, who has thrown 145 innings this season with a 2.85 ERA.