Washington @ Cleveland preview
Progressive Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 12, 2010 ) Washington 1, Cleveland 7
This is the draw of Stephen Strasburg: Within the first 12 hours of his debut last Tuesday, the Cleveland Indians sold 4,000 tickets to Sunday’s game against Washington and 8,000 total once word spread that Strasburg would get the start.
The Indians are expecting in excess of 30,000 for today’s game vs. the Nationals, which would be their biggest crowd since an Opening Day sellout.
Strasburg is already being hailed as the next face of baseball after striking out 14 in his major league debut last week against Pittsburgh. It’s probably no coincidence that Strasburg’s first two starts will come against two of baseball’s worst teams – the Pirates and Indians.
The No. 1 overall pick in last year’s June draft, Strasburg doesn’t turn 22 until next month and is the best pitching prospect of his generation. With his electric 100 mph fastball and hammer curve, the Nationals have committed to pitching him every fifth day – not every fifth game – to keep him on a strict schedule.
Washington sat veteran catcher Ivan Rodriguez, fresh off the disabled list, during Saturday’s loss to the Indians to keep him fresh for Strasburg today. He will face an Indians team that has struck out 461 times this season, third-most in the American League, meaning another double-digit strikeout performance is certainly within reach.
The Indians have won four straight and have their own phenom in catcher Carlos Santana, also one of the top prospects in baseball.
The 24-year-old Santana, acquired in a trade deadline deal in 2008 for versatile veteran Casey Blake, hit his first major league homer Saturday night in his sixth career at-bat. Santana hit .316 with 13 homers and 51 RBIs in 57 games at Triple-A before receiving the promotion.
Even more telling, Tribe manager Manny Acta let Santana catch Fausto Carmona on Saturday. Carmona, working his way back from a miserable 2009, has produced nicely while working exclusively with veteran backup Mike Redmond.
But the Indians, knowing Santana’s long-term worth, wanted him to catch Carmona immediately. The results were brilliant. Carmona pitched his second complete game of the season, allowing three hits and striking out seven without walking a batter.
It’s unclear whether Acta will start Santana against Strasburg. Typically, catchers rest during day games that follow night games.
This will mark Strasburg’s first start on the road and the Indians are taking full advantage - they spent Saturday hanging Strasburg jerseys in concession stands throughout Progressive Field.