NL East

I’m back after two exciting weeks in and around Dumaguete City in the Philippines.  An awful lot has happened since I was away: Lou Piniella’s decision to retire sooner rather than later, Roger Clemens getting indicted, the Giants’ vaunted starters posting the worst ERA of any starting rotation in the National League so far in August.

Almost three months ago, Nationals Stadium was filled for one of the only times in its existence. Not because the Nationals were playing well, but because the most sought-after prospect in baseball, Stephen Strasburg, was set to make his debut.

The day was June 8, 2010. The opposing team was the Pittsburgh Pirates. If the uniforms and players faces were unidentifiable, you would have thought that it was Game 7 of the World Series. And with all the excitement, nobody was let down.

It was made known that Stephen Strasburg will most likely undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow. 

The Nationals award Strasburg with a $15.1 million contract after being selected No. one overall in the 2009 MLB draft.

Now, Cole Hamels can be considered the best 8-10 pitcher on the planet. 

After completing a masterful six-hit, no walk shutout on the road against his hometown Padres, the lanky lefty snapped his improbable eight-game winless streak to lead the Phillies to a 5-0 win.

The headline and the story is not satire, but sadly a true story coming out of the Dominican Republic.

According to the Associated Press, the ex-wife of Ambiorix Burgos is claiming that her crazed former husband forced her to eat rat poison. The accusation has led to kidnapping and attempted murder charges on the former Major Leaguer.

NEW YORK-- So far in the month of August, the Mets have been a classic .500 ballclub. They haven't gone on a winning streak or losing streak, but they have been just at or around .500.

Every day this month, the Mets have either been a game over, a game under, or exactly even. Entering today, they're one under at 64-65.

The last time the Mets spent an entire month at no better than one over and no worse than one under was April 1970. Meaning it's been over 40 years since the Mets have had a month this average.

Update: The results of Strasburg’s MRI were not good. Strasburg was diagnosed with a tear in his ulner collateral ligament in his right elbow. Strasburg will most likely need Tommy John surgery and miss the 2011 season.

A couple of thoughts about this:

The National Treasure that was supposed to put Washington on the baseball map at long last didn't last.

Instead, the National Treasure tore apart in the way of a torn ulnar collateral ligament which will require the infamous Tommy John surgery: every pitcher's nightmare. 

The Washington Nationals were being as careful as any team would be with a young fireballer by limiting his innings and pitch counts each outing and through a season. 

Although it may seem strange, this year the Phillies feet have played a big role in their season.  Whether it be injuries, or balks, or just plain mess-ups, the Phillies have had some eventful things happen to them that involved feet.  Here is a list of some of them:

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Fans had to wait longer than they wanted to see Stephen Strasburg make his MLB debut.

Well, now they will have to wait even longer to see him pitch again.

The Washington Nationals' rookie phenom has a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament, which will require Tommy John surgery.

While Strasburg will seek a second opinion, he will likely be out for at least a year, and up to 18 months. 

Strasburg threw 68 innings in 12 starts, going 5-3 with 92 strikeouts, 17 walks and a 2.91 ERA.