The Mets have had Martinez in their system for about five years now, and he has made little to no progress. In his few stints with the Mets he has looked completely overmatched, and has given fans little reason to believe that he will evolve into the "slugger" we were told he could become. Lots of fans are calling for a youth movement with the organization by giving the young guys some more playing time in the future, but I just don't see Martinez in that mix. The team should trade him this off-season while he still has value.

The homestretch of the season is coming, and the Braves are in the drivers seat.

All season I have been waiting for the Braves to falter and the Phillies to capitalize by taking the division lead. At this point, I think Atlanta has proved that they are for real, I'm finally convinced. The Braves are defiantly in the drivers seat now, the Phillies have been inconsistent all season and they just got swept at home in four games by the Houston Astros. I like the Braves to come out on top in the east and make a serious run for the pennant. Hopefully, this comes down to the last weekend of the series when the two teams will meet at Turner Field in a three game set.

The Marlins are currently 7.5 out of the division lead and 5.5 out in the wild card. Obviosly, anything can happen in the final month of the season but its pretty safe to say that the team threw in the towel once they lost Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross. One of the ways I judge whether or not a team is considered to be in the playoff race is if they show up on ESPN's standings they put up on Sportscenter or Baseball Tonight, and Florida's name has not been up there.

Baseball Prospectus's Will Carroll weighed in on todays stunning news that Stephen Strasburg will have to get Tommy John surgery:

"The Nationals announced that Strasburg has a torn ulnar collateral ligament as well as the strained flexor tendon. This couldn't be any worse—or more surprising. All the protections and conservative buildup to his career did not work, but we're not sure why. Strasburg's elbow is damaged enough that we have to wonder if he had any chance, if there was any methodology to keep him healthy. The likely answer is no. The Nats did not address whether the earlier focus on the flexor tendon was wrong, or whether the strain is an issue as well as the sprain. There's a comp here if both are an issue that should make Nats fans feel a bit better—Edinson Volquez. Then again, there's Ben Sheets if you don't want to feel hopeful..."

There's also David Wells, Matt Morris, Tom Gordon, John Smoltz...Chris Carpenter, Francisco Liriano...the list goes on...

Carroll brings up an interesting point here. Strasburg had been handled, at least on the field, as cautiously as possible. The Nationals monitored his innings in the minors, his pitch count in the majors, even a few weeks ago when he just felt "tight" they shut him down for 15 days.

There was no overworking, no pitching on short rest, nothing to indicate that the Nationals had put Stephen Strasburg in a position to injure his elbow. Conversely, there was nothing to suggest that the 22-year-old was susceptible to such an injury. As a late bloomer, Strasburg gained arm strength in college and was reportedly not overworked in high school.

That's what makes this all a little unnerving. Yes, Tommy John surgery is almost always successful these days, however there is a possibility that Strasburg's body was just not built to last as a major league pitcher. If there was no good methodology to keep him healthy now, then what does that say about the future?

However as former Nationals general manager Jim Bowden tweeted today, the injury could have been the result of the starters newly developed changenup:

"Rizzo just told us that his CHANGE was thrown more @WSH than as a collegiate & that that pitch could have put the extra stress on ligament"

While saddening news it would make sense that this could cause the injury. Many pointed out that a 90 MPH change up had never been seen before, and that it was almost unnaturally unhittable. It would seem to reason that throwing a pitch like that, which is held with the ball almost in your palm, that fast, could force stress on your elbow. When you hold a ball like that you surrender the traditional power you get from your fingers and wrist snap, which means you have to generate more form your shoulder and elbow.

In college Strasburg possessed the change-up in his arsenal but almost never threw it for lack of need. He was so dominant against Division I college hitting that he hardly had to dig deep to get the out. Coming through the minors and into the majors this year, he added the change up to have another "out" pitch to mix into his game plan. Which made sense, if you fool a major league hitter with a pitch one time around, chances are he will be able to pick up on it the second or third time. With multiple out pitches though, it's much easier to keep good hitters off balance.

If this was the problem that forced the injury, fixing Strasburg could be as simple as telling him not to throw that pitch anymore, or at least to throw it far less frequently (he threw it 17% of the time). Will that effect his overall ability to get outs? Maybe...but lets remember the kid will still throw in the high 90s with a mind-bending curve. We'll have to wait to see how the Nationals handle his arm rehabilitation and his pitch repertoire to really know what will happen going forward, lets just hope (pray) that he will be the same in 2012.

Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com reports that Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg will likely need Tommy John surgery in his pitching arm:

"Stephen Strasburg has a significant tear in his ulnar collateral ligament that will probably require Tommy John surgery, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said this morning.

Strasburg, who came out of last Saturday's game against the Phillies in the fifth inning after throwing a changeup to Domonic Brown, was initially diagnosed with a strained flexor tendon in his right forearm. He was examined in Philadelphia last Saturday, and a Phillies team doctor told the Nationals that Strasburg would be fine, and would be throwing again in five days.

But a subsequent MRI showed enough swelling in Strasburg's arm to merit the MRI arthrogram, in which dye is injected into the area of the patient's injury. That test showed the tear of Strasburg's ulnar collateral ligament. The Nationals will fly Strasburg to the West Coast to get a second opinion from Dr. Lewis Yocum."

Analysis:

This is arguably the most disappointing news imaginable. The great one, the savior, Jeezus himself will now have Tommy John surgery not just keeping him out this season, but also all of next year. Many Nats fans had serious hopes of the team turning into a competitor in 2011, but now any serious chance of that is likely out the window. To Washington the young hurler had already become more than just a stellar arm that could help the team get victories, but also a beacon of hope that the good days were just around the corner.

Perhaps 2011 means we'll have another years worth of dark days.

Strasburg will finish his 2010 rookie campaign with a 5-3 record and a 2.91 ERA. The 23-year-old struck out 92 batters in only 68 innings, and more importantly, he empowered Nats fans by giving them a hope they hadn't imagined since 2005.

Yes, this is scary that our $15 million arm is going under the knife. Yes, it is scary that we wont get to witness his fastball for 18 months, and yes names like Mark Prior and Kerry Wood are swirling around yet again in comparison, however we must remember that Tommy John surgery is almost 90% effective, and is so useful that some players are volunteering for the procedure.

They caught the elbow injury before he pitched himself into a shoulder injury. This is sad, but it is fixable.

In the meantime Strasburg will be sent to the 60-day disables list where, unfortunately, he will accumulate service time. This means that not only will Nats fans miss out on a year of watching Strasburg pitch, they will do so while losing a year of control over the pitcher. That's rough news for the fans and the organization, essentially his contract just became a year shorter.

According to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, Bryce Harper put on a show at Nationals batting practice this afternoon:

"Washington Nationals top pick Bryce Harper took batting practice today at Nationals Park before his introductory news conference, and in front of team executives, agent Scott Boras, players from both teams and a throng of media he promptly deposited a pitch into the third deck in right field...Harper's best power output came in his final round of batting practice, when he homered on three straight pitches. The first landed in the left field bullpen, the next in the right field bullpen and the third to straightaway center field."

Harper, 17, is at Nats park today to officially be introduced as a National. It seems he let his bat do the talking before his mouth got a chance. The recently signed first-overall draft pick is well known for his massive natural power and impressive bat speed, he gave the Nationals brass a first had show of it today.

Hearing this news I couldn't help but think about the exhibition game in R.F.K. before the Nationals moved here where Mark McGwire put on a show in batting practice. Many swore it was one of the most amazing feats they had ever seen. Who knows, in four or five years such a feat could be a weekly occurance if you get to Nats Park early enough for a home game.

Hopefully all the Nats fans who got tickets for today in order to see fellow phenom Stephen Strasburg pitch showed up early to watch Harper hit some bombs in Nats park...it might be the only chance to see such a feat for the next several years as many expect the outfielder to have a few years of development in the minors.

Are you excited yet?

There is no question that the Phillies would not be who they are today if not for Werth. His presence has been just as important as Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins by fitting in perfectly with the Phillies system. This season has been a strange one for Werth, he began 2010 on a tear, but now with the season is winding down, it sounds like he could be running himself out of town. The interview with SI may be the last straw for fans with Werth. I guess all you can say is that it was nice while it lasted.

New York Mets GM, Omar Minaya, gives us the latest on the state of the franchise.

It's the same old story with the Mets. To me there wasn't anything in this update that surprises me. As much as Omar has done with the Mets, turning them from a mediocre team in 2005 to putting them on the map in 2006 and beyond, its just time for a new voice at the position. There is no doubt Minaya gets what he wants, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana, and Francisco Rodriquez were all the biggest names on the market and he managed to bring them to New York, but its been the smaller minor moves where he has failed. Omar has never been able to find great complimentary players that bring a winning attitude to the team. To be honest, R.A. Dickey may have been his greatest find.

Who could have predicted Omar Infante's incredible success this season, arguably making him the team MVP.

Who needs Martin Prado or Chipper Jones when you have Omar Infante on your team? Infante is hitting .349 on the season, shattering his previous career high and career average. The only question surrounding Infante is if he can continue putting up these numbers in 2011 and beyond. Is he for real or is this just an aberration? Regardless, Infante will be key in Atlanta's post-season run.

Sports Illustrated's John Heyman reports that regardless of the outcome of Strasburg's  MRI he is expected to take today, the Nationals will likely shut him down for the rest of the season:

Regardless of the results of Nationals pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg's second MRI, he is expected to be shut down for the season as a precaution. The Nationals have the final call on the decision, and they are believed not to want to take a chance with their prized pitcher.

An initial MRI taken Sunday suggested Strasburg has a strained flexor tendon in his right forearm, but a more detailed MRI was expected to be done later this week. He left Saturday's game after experiencing some discomfort in his right arm and was placed on the disabled list.

Analysis:

While this is sad news, what else are the Nationals to do? Stephen Strasburg would remain as the one thing worth watching as this season comes to a close at Nats Park, but he also represents the future of not only the Nats but perhaps all of major league baseball. Rizzo, Kasten, and the Lerners would not only be doing a disservice to Strasburg and the franchise if they let him pitch out this season, but also to the to the fans in Washington and throughout Major League Baseball.

And while the team may be taking a hit in the bank by not having him sell out a few more home games, the bottom line comes to this: winning at this point is irrelevant, preparing to win in 2011 is the goal.

Tonight is a big night for the Washington Nationals organization. Just as they did a year ago with Stephen Strasburg, tonight they will unveil their newest prized possession, Bryce Harper. The 17-year-old will be making his "professional debut," not on the field but instead as a $9.9 million debutant being introduced into society.

For Harper it will be a brief introduction before what promises to be several of the most brutal and torturous months of his quite young life. After today's ceremonies, the pomp-and-circumstance will be gone and he will undergo a total deconstruction of his pre-conceived amateur baseball life as the Nationals will prepare him for life as a professional. He will report to the teams Gulf Coast camp, not to play, but to work on every miniscule detail of his game so that when he makes his minor league debut next year he is in a place to succeed.

MLB Trade Rumors reports that according to both Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Tumes and ESPN's Buster Onley, the Chicago Cubs and Adam Dunn could have mutual interest in getting a deal done this off season:

''[Wrigley Field's] obviously one of my favorite parks to hit in,'' Dunn told Wittenmyer. ''I've always really enjoyed playing there. The atmosphere is great there for any player. The fans are always hard on the other team, which makes it fun." Dunn later continued, "I know Jim (Henry) from my Cincinnati days. We hit it off. He's one of my favorites. And I hear nothing but great things about him.''

Dunn, 30, will become a free-agent at years end if the Nationals fail to sign him to a contract extension. The club looked very heavily into trading the big hitting left-hander at the trade deadline, but was unable to get a package in return that they deemed good enough for the slugger. Nearing the end of a two-year $20 million dollar contract, the two sides appear to be heading opposite directions towards talks of an extension.

Dunn has hit .263/.353/.548 with 31 homers and 78 RBI this season, and is looking to sign a multi-year contract this winter. While Dunn's defense has been poor throughout his career, the reformed first-baseman has expressed interest in staying in the National League because he does not wish to become a designated hitter in the final chapter of his career. While admirable, Dunn's ambition to stay in the field may cost him financially.

The Cubs appear willing to take on Dunn's defensive liabilities in order to have a strong power hitter from the left side of the plate, and Buster Olney seems convinced that all it would take is a four year deal. While the Nationals have not been willing to discuss terms on a possible extension with Dunn, it is widely believed that they do not want to sign him to more than a three-year contract due to his age, body type, and track record.

Analysis:

Last night we did an interview with Bleed Cubbie Blue, a great Chicago Cubs blog from SB Nation. Based on the conversation going on in their game thread, it seems like the city of Chicago is much more enthusiastic about signing Dunn than Washingtonians are. This is likely a result of the general eternal optimism of all Cubs fans, the same people who signed Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley. They want Dunn because they believe it will help them return to glory, but will it?

Over the teams past road trip the ball club made several aesthetic changes to Nationals Park, all of them involving painting parts of the stadium to a dark shade of blue. The most notable change is to the Shirley Povich Media Center (Press Box), which in the past was a strong red that stuck out amongst the blue seating.

Below is a picture taken by Cheryl Nichols of "Nats News Network - Off The Field" showing us how the press box looks now:

To see more of the changes you can visit her site here.

Personally I like the new look a lot. I think it's much sleeker and it makes the stadium look less amusement park like. It's not Disney, it's D.C., and I think the Lerners got it right. Not to mention...the colors are now way closer to what we have here at The Nats Blog...coincidence???

In all seriousness, I think the blue will provide a much more classic and clean backdrop to what we will soon hopefully see in that stadium, October baseball.