MLB Odds: Nationals Get Terrible News on Stephen Strasburg

					Stephen Strasburg could be out until 2012 now. (AP Images)

Could the career of Washington Nationals rookie phenom pitcher Stephen Strasburg have already peaked after just 12 major-league starts? Let’s hope not, but now Strasburg faces a long road back as a second MRI on the pitcher’s right elbow revealed a significant tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and will likely require Tommy John surgery – that means he’s out anywhere from 12-18 months. So we may not even see him next year, and that’s a shame.

"It's a tough day for him and for all of us, for everyone who's a Nats fan," Team president Stan Kasten said in an understatement.

The good news is that Tommy John surgery now is fairly routine and most pitchers are able to come back 100 percent from it — the success rate for pitchers returning to full strength and capability is roughly 90 percent. The Washington Post had a great stat, listing nine pitchers who underwent the surgery in their career who were selected for the 2010 All-Star Game: Chris Carpenter, Tim Hudson, Josh Johnson, Arthur Rhodes, Brian Wilson, Joakim Soria, Hong-Chih Kuo, Rafael Soriano and Billy Wagner. And possible National League Rookie of the Year Jamie Garcia of the Cardinals also had the operation. The Nationals lost another top pitching prospect, Jordan Zimmermann, a year ago to Tommy John surgery. He made his big-league return Thursday and allowed five runs in four innings against St. Louis. It was slightly more than 12 months since Zimmerman’s surgery.

Strasburg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, is 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 92 strikeouts in just 68 innings pitched this year. He left his last start Aug. 21 against the Phillies after feeling a twinge in his pitching elbow. He landed on the DL for the second time this season; also going there in July when he felt tightness in his shoulder warming up. The Nats said for more than a few days they expected this recent injury to be minor before the second MRI showed the tear. Strasburg will get a second opinion before actually having the surgery but it’s mostly a formality.

by Allen James