Stephen Strasburg suffered his first loss on Wednesday night, a tough 1-0 decision to the Kansas City Royals.
He's now 2-1, but with four fantastic starts. With a team that offers run support, he'd be 4-0. Strasburg has a 1.78 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings. Those 41 strikeouts are the most by any pitcher in history in his first four starts, breaking a record set by Cleveland's Herb Score in 1955. Even though Ozzie Guillen can't remember his name, it's still remarkable.
Now a question, and perhaps an absurd one if you consider yourself a baseball purist. Is Strasburg already a National League All-Star?
Yeah, it's four games. Seems awfully early. But what is the All-Star Game about anyway? It's supposed to be about the fans, and it's about seeing the most talented pitchers in baseball face the most talented hitters.
Wouldn't we want to see Strasburg face Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Miguel Cabrera and Joe Mauer? How could we not? The National League has a 14-year winless streak in the All-Star Game - 13 losses and the infamous tie game of 2002. Wouldn't throwing Strasburg out there in the fifth inning be better than, say, Mike Pelfrey?
I'm not the only one who is thinking this way, either. If this was the World Baseball Classic, would you want him on the mound for the U.S. team? Of course. And he would be.
Another counter argument: If Strasburg goes to the All-Star Game, we'd be taking a spot away from a deserving NL pitcher who played the entire first half. OK, a solution.
Don't pick Strasburg as a regular selection. But put him on the ballot by the fans for that final spot. Generates some buzz, and takes the heat off Charlie Manuel.
If you put him on the ballot, it's not taking a spot away from a deserving young pitcher such as Jaime Garcia or Mat Latos. And we'll still see Strasburg on the mound in Anaheim.
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