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Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg (2-0) after 9-4 Win Over Cleveland Indians.

CLEVELAND - JUNE 13:  Stephen Strasburg #37 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the Cleveland Indians during the game on June 13, 2010 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.  (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND - JUNE 13: Stephen Strasburg #37 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the Cleveland Indians during the game on June 13, 2010 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
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Today's Top 5: 

5. Big Train Pulls Into Progressive: Stephen Strasburg is inevitably the big story every time he pitches at this point, and with 32,876 in attendance to watch his second major league start in Cleveland, Ohio's Progressive Field, (where they average 16,000) Strasburg's once again national news, broadcast nationally on TBS, and in mid-Atlantic region on MASN or on the air on WFED in DC, the Nats' '09 no.1 overall pick has the whole country talking. The Nats' ace doesn't disappoint, striking out the first two Indians' batters he faces with a 100mph fastball on display and the curve working in a 1-2-3 first...

4. Donkey Check!!!: Adam Dunn at second with two down in the second after doubling to start the frame, Michael Morse sneaks a single by first baseman Russell Branyan allowing Dunn to come around from second and score...but first, for some reason, the Indians' rookie catcher Carlos Santana stands over the plate and Dunn lays him out!! Shoulder down and into the kid who goes flying head over heels and comes to a stop a few steps down the line. 1-0 Nats...In the bottom of the second, Stephen Strasburg challenges Travis Hafner with a 1-0 100mph fastball inside and low and PRONK launches it, laser HR to right and out in a hurry, 1-1 after two on the 2nd HR Strasburg's allowed...

3. Strasburg's 1st Walk: Stephen Strasburg strikes out Shin-Soo Choo to start the bottom of the fourth for Strasburg's 5th K of the day and the 19th K in his first two outings. After a bunch of Twittering about the record for most strikeouts to start a career without issuing a walk, Stephen Strasburg immediately goes to a full count with the Indians' rookie catcher Carlos Santana, whose patient approach draws the first walk out of the Nats' right-hander, who misses with a fastball outside after he'd recorded 19-straight K's without issuing a free pass, falling 3 K's short of the record. According to Nats Insider.com's Mark Zuckerman (@markzuckerman)

"Johnny Cueto struck out 22 before issuing a walk in 2008. Strasburg is at 18 now, second-most since 1900 according to Elias."

2. Two-Out Runs Galore!!!: Pudge!! Two-out Double!!!: 2-1 Nats after five. Nyjer Morgan and Ryan Zimmerman both fly to Choo in right to give Indians' right-hander David Huff two quick outs. Adam Dunn takes four straight to walk with two down and Josh Willingham's double gives Pudge Rodriguez two on with two out. Pudge splits the left-center gap on the first pitch he sees, two runs score, 4-1 Nats. Huff walks Michael Morse and is lifted. Ian Desmond triples off a diving Trevor Crowe's glove in center and it's 6-1 when Strasburg returns to the mound. 4 two-out runs!!! 

1. '09 1st Rounders!!: STOREN WARNING!! Bases loaded, one out, 6-1 Nats. Strasburg's out after a single and two one-out walks, and the Nats' call on their second '09 1st Rounder, Drew Storen, who pops Russell Branyan up over the infield, and strikes Jhonny Peralta out with a fastball up high at 96mph!!! Storen holds the Indians off the board and keeps Stras' earned runs down. Big inning for the former Stanford Cardinal closer who's now thrown 5.0 scoreless since he last allowed a run on June 1st. 1.1 IP for Storen, 2 K's. Strasburg's Final Line for Start 2: (W, 2-0), 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 8 K's, 1 HR, 95 pitches, 52 strikes, 4 groundouts, 4 flyouts, 23 batters faced. 

• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

Num Name - Comments
1 LOUtheMETandNATSfan - 184
2 souldrummer - 131
3 grizzy - 86
4 MissB - 78
5 plebescite - 66
6 TJL - 59
7 Doncosmic - 59
8 rachel216 - 55
9 Horasitas4 - 35
10 RobBobS - 33
11 Boo. - 26
12 martins - 25

 

• Final Score: Nats 9, Indians 4. 

Nationals now 31-33. 

FULL GAME REPORT: 

1 - Cristian Guzman lines softly to second where Luis Valbuena catches the first out. Nyjer Morgan lines to left, Austin Kearns catches it. Ryan Zimmerman tests Indians' shortstop (and former Nats' infielder) Anderson Hernandez, who's up to it, three up, three down for David Huff...Trevor Crowe leads off for Cleveland. Crowe can't hold up on a fastball up high, one K for Stephen Strasburg. Shin-Soo Choo goes down swinging. 2 K's. Strasburg gets a line drive to left from Carlos Santana in a matchup that's a scout's dream, and it's another scoreless frame for Strasburg. 

2 - Josh Willingham's up in the second, Indians' right-hander David Huff gets the Hammer looking at an 0-2 fastball outside that's called strike three. Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez K's swinging at a fastball outside. Michael Morse sneaks a single by Russell Branyan at first, and Adam Dunn scores for a 1-0 Nats' lead. Ian Desmond flies out to right to end the top of the second...Stephen Strasburg challenges Travis Hafner with a fastball down and loses, PRONK lines to right and out in a hurry. 1-1 ballgame. Strasburg's second HR allowed. Austin Kearns lines out to right. Russell Branyan K's swinging over a nasty bender. Two down, 3 K's. Jhonny Peralta K's looking a 2-2 bender all the way in for a called strike three. Strasburg's 4th.

3 - Alberto Gonzalez vs Huff. Swinging K with a fastball. One down. Cristian Guzman singles to center to start the Nats' third. Nyjer Morgan lines out to right. Kearns catches it. Ryan Zimmerman lines out to short, Anderson Hernandez has it...Luis Valbuena grounds to first, Strasburg covers, Dunn tosses to first, one down. Anderson Hernandez grounds to first. Two outs. Trevor Crowe grounds to second to end the third. 

4 - Adam Dunn starts the fourth with a HR!! HR! SHAKE N BAKE!!! SHAKE N BAKE!! Solo shot to right off Huff, 2-1 Nats!!! Josh Willingham walks in front of Pudge. Huff gets a DP grounder out of Rodriguez, two down with Michael Morse at the plate. Line drive to right, Shin-Soo Choo has it...Strasburg vs Choo. Swinging K, Strasburg gets this one with a curve, 5 on the day. Carlos Santana takes a 3-2 fastball outside for ball four and Strasburg's first walk. Travis Hafner works the count full and walks. Austin Kearns goes down swinging at a 97mph fastball outside. 6 K's!!! Russell Branyan K's swinging at a 96mph fastball up high!!! 7 K's!!! 2-1 Nats after four. 

5 - Ian Desmond K's swinging to start the fifth. David Huff gets a grounder to short from Alberto Gonzalez. Cristian Guzman lines out to right field to end the Nats' fifth...Strasburg's on the mound again. And after some work on the mound, the bottom of the fifth begins. Jhonny Peralta K's swinging at a fastball upstairs!!! 8 K's!! Luis Valbuena flies out to short left, Desmond has it. Two down. Anderson Hernandez walks with two down. Trevor Crowe bunts toward third, Alberto Gonzalez plays it like Zim with the barehand throw. 

6 - Nyjer Morgan flies out to right to start the sixth. Ryan Zimmerman's swinging at a 3-0 pitch from Huff, and he flies to right field. Two down. Adam Dunn gets a two-out walk. Josh Willingham lines to left off Huff. Dunn takes third on the Hammer's double. Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez doubles to left center, and into the gap!! Dunn scores, Hammer scores, 4-1 Nats!!! Michael Morse takes a two-out walk. Two on and two out for Ian Desmond, who lines to center, and off a diving Trevor Crowe's glove. Two-run triple for Desmond!! 6-1 Nats!! Alberto Gonzalez's groundout ends the top of the sixth...Strasburg gets a fly ball to center from Choo to start the bottom of the sixth. Carlos Santana shatters his bat on a pop fly single to short right. Strasburg works on the mound again, then settles in against Travis Hafner. But Strasburg's still slipping as he walks Hafner, and the grounds crew is out to do some work. Austin Kearns takes a 3-1 pitch for ball four inside. Strasburg disagrees with the call. Drew Storen takes over with one out and the bases loaded. Russell Branyan works the count full and pops out to the infield, two down. Jhonny Peralta gets down 0-2 fouls off a few and K's swinging through a 96 mph fastball. 

7 - Rafael Perez vs Guzman to start the seventh, and he bends Perez in half with a single up the middle. Nyjer Morgan flies out to center. Ryan Zimmerman lines a 1-0 change to right. Adam Dunn grounds weakly to first, two down, second and third. Hammer grounds to A-Hands at short to end the Nats' seventh...Drew Storen goes to a full count with Luis Valbuena and gets a called strike three with a fastball inside. Anderson Hernandez grounds to Guzman at second, two down. Trevor Crowe lines to center, Morgan dives, but misses. Double for Crowe. Storen's done. Doug Slaten vs Shin-Soo Choo. Albert Gonzalez catches Choo's pop fly. 6-1 Nats after seven.

8 - Pudge singles through short on the first pitch from the Indians' Tony Sipp. Roger Bernadina destroys a fastball to right and GONE!! Two-run HR, 8-1 Nats!!! Ian Desmond singles through short for the third-straight hit. Alberto Gonzalez doubles to right to score Desmond, 9-1 Nats and a DY Wave to the dugout from Gonzalez!!! Cristian Guzman singles under Anderson Hernandez's glove at short. Nyjer Morgan K's swinging. Ryan Zimmerman does the same. Adam Dunn with the two-out chance. Dunn flies out to right to end the eighth...Doug Slaten vs Carlos Santana in the Indians' eighth. Pop up to the catcher, one down. Travis Hafner grounds out to Desmond behind second. Two down. Shelley Duncan flies out to right to end the inning. 

9 - Kerry Wood on the hill for Cleveland. Josh Willingham down looking. Pudge grounds out to second. Two down. Roger Bernadina beats out an infield grounder that bounces off of Wood. Ian Desmond shatters his bat but gets a two-out single. Albert Gonzalez's shattered bat produces nothing...Miguel Batista vs Andy Marte. Marte doubles to left and off the wall to start the ninth. Jason Donald grounds out to second, one down. Luis Valbuena lines to right to score Marte. 9-2 Nats. Anderson Hernandez singles to center. First and second. Trevor Crowe walks to load the bases. Shin-Soo Choo singles off the wall in center, and almost out. Two runs score, 9-4 Nationals. Tyler Clippard takes over against Carlos Santana, who flies to right. Two down. Travis Hafner grounds out to short, Desmond tosses to second to end it. Nats win, 9-4 final.