Game Thread 8/5: Braves at Nationals

1. Jason Heyward - RF
2. Justin Upton - LF
3. Freddie Freeman - 1B
4. Brian McCann - C
5. Chris Johnson - 3B
6. Dan Uggla - 2B
7. BJ Upton - CF
8. Andrelton Simmons - SS
9. Mike Minor - P

I love this lineup. I love this lineup. I love this lineup. I love this lineup. I love this lineup. I love this lineup. I love this lineup. I love this lineup. I love this lineup. I love this lineup. I love this lineup. I love this lineup. I love this lineup. I love this lineup.

Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits. Everybody hits.

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Stephen Strasburg

Scouting Report: We all know about Stephen Strasburg. He has a power fastball that sits in the mid-to-upper 90s with a sinker and changeup in the high-80s and low-90s, and he adds a power curveball. Strasburg throws a lot of fastball - because, well, it's a good pitch - but he'll rely more on his curveball and changeup to finish off hitters.

Analysis: This season hasn't been as dominant as Strasburg probably would've liked. After a 30% K rate last season, it's down to 25%, which is really good but not the elite level of 2012. He's not throwing any less hard, and his O-Swing rate is actually up this year. The downside seems to be fewer first-pitch strikes, but I'm not sure that's enough to cause such a drastic fall in K rate. All of this has brought his FIP from 2.82 to 3.33 - again, good but not elite - although his ERA looks very similar to last season's.