Gonzales and Strasburg are both having historic season

When it all said and done I believe the 2012 Washington Nationals may have a season that will be written about for decades. The team itself has done well to stay on top of their division. The team seems to keep an even keel in the first 72 games this season. Every time the team has a losing streak of three or four games the team is able to turn it around and will usually start reeling off multiple wins.

So far this season the Nationals most diffidently have been led by their superb pitching. As the entire pitching staff has done well there are two pitchers on the staff that are really making a push to become all-stars.

Stephen Strasburg (9-3) and Gio Gonzales (10-3) are both having dream seasons and both should make the National League All-Star team.  The big question is will either one of them be named as the starter in Mid Season Classic? At this time I think Strasburg may get the start.

As the Nationals are approaching the half-way mark of the season both Strasburg and Gonzalez are both on pace to have more than 200 strikeouts this season. Even if Strasburg is kept to a 160 inning limit he is on pace to have 210 k’s and Gonzalez is on pace to have 239 k’s.

If they are able to strikeout 200 or more they will be only the 2^nd and 3^rd pitchers in Washington baseball history to do so. In fact the last time a Washington pitcher registered 200 strikeouts was way back in 1916, when Walter Johnson fanned 228 batters. The Big Train struck out 200 or more batters seven times in his 21 year career.

The last Washington pitcher to even come close to striking out 200 was Pete Richert.  In 1966 Richert led the Senators pitching staff with 195 k’s.

In the near future I will be writing more about Gio Gonzalez and his chances to win 20 games this season.