Stephen Strasburg

To channel Tim Kurkjian, one of the reasons we love watching baseball is because the game doesn't always turn out the way you expect.

The Washington Nationals are already the feel-good story of the early 2012 Major League Baseball season. They are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the National League at 14-6, plus they have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.

The absence of Drew Storen at the end of ballgames is beginning to weigh on the Washington Nationals.

Innings limits may not always be the most popular thing for managers and owners to impose, but they are definitely important in keeping young arms fresh and healthy.

Each year, the talent that enters Major League Baseball seems to get younger.  After all, we are on the verge of seeing a player break into the majors who is barely old enough to vote for the President of the United States.

This is great news for the fans who get to see a young talent pool of players who should be around for a very long time.

Here is a list of the top 25 pitchers under age 25 who should anchor major league pitching staffs for the next 10 to 15 years.

Having completed an old fashioned double-header over the weekend, the Washington Nationals get set to  complete three games in a 24 hour span.

Sitting at 9-8 right now, a record good enough to sit on top of the N.L. Central, few notice because the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves dominate the N.L. East ink.

When Stephen Strasburg was pulled from his start on August 21, the Nationals organization immediately knew it was a huge loss, competitively and financially.

Widely considered the "most-hyped draft pick in draft history," Strasburg was supposed to be the savior for the Nationals for years to come.

When he made his debut in June, every sign pointed to that notion becoming reality.

After an up-and-down winter and an encouraging spring, the Washington Nationals start their 2011 campaign Thursday with a matinee matchup with the Atlanta Braves.

While every Nationals fan is salivating over what 2012 and 2013 may bring, 2011 will be an interesting and important year for the organization going forward. Let this season forever be known as "The Foundation."

Every baseball season, there are injuries around the league.  Some are so bad that a few can never rebound and make the same impact as they did before—i.e. Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets, who has now been forced to change positions due to injury.

Depending on the situation, whether it's Tommy John surgery, a shoulder operation, elbow tendinitis or a broken foot, baseball is a very tough sport to recover in.  This can be due to the fact that "Americas pastime," puts a high demand on muscles that aren't used in everyday life. 

It’s a fickle life in Major League Baseball. Here today, gone tomorrow is a phrase often used when referring to ballplayers who had a quick run of success before seemingly losing it altogether, or players felled by injuries who were unable to make it all the way back.

The stories of great fame and then injury go back many years in baseball, especially among pitchers. Dizzy Dean was a classic example.

Known as the Ace of the Gashouse Gang for the St. Louis Cardinals, Dean was the last pitcher to win 30 games in the National League, reaching that mark in 1934.