Across the world of the Nationals, there is broad consensus about one thing: the Nationals have returned to pre-All-Star break form. Enough has been written about that already, and it's pretty depressing anyway, so I don't feel the need to add my opinion there. In other news, the Nationals are reaching crunch time on the Strasburg situation, and even though Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser don't think a deal will be reached, I'm still a believer. Coverage is beginning to ramp up ahead of the deadline, so here's the rundown: Yahoo! sports has put together a video and an article, MLB.com answered a question, and the Chico Harlan at the Post touched on it in an article. With Boras representing the top three picks, I'm not sure how all three can run down to the deadline, but if I had to put money on it I'd say Strasburg will be the last Boras client to be signed.
A number of Nationals farm system players were selected as NY/Penn League All-Stars, most importantly Francisco Soriano, potentially a permanent second-baseman for the Nats.
The bad news has been made official after a visit to Dr. Lewis Yocum: Jordan Zimmermann will require Tommy John surgery. The surgery will take place next Wednesday, and rehab is expected to take a year or more.
Yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of baseball shutting down in 1994, putting an end to the Expo's biggest chance to win the pennant. It's a shame how that season worked out.