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Baseball Reference

Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: At times on Tuesday night, Stephen Strasburg made the Atlanta Braves hitters look very comfortable at the plate – swinging at balls, taking great pitches, swinging at balls over their heads.  The Washington Nationals and Strasburg took game one of this series, 3-1.  This is now the Nationals sixth win in a row against the Braves.  A positive that came from Tuesday?  The Braves bullpen.  Yes, Fredi Gonzalez used two pitches for one inning, but they didn’t give up any runs! (Brandon Cunniff did give up two hits).

Braves lose 3-1

The Washington Post

Strasburg makes a triumphant return as Nationals top Braves, 3-1

Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: The Washington Nationals waited until about 4:15pm ET to let the media know exactly who their starting pitcher for Tuesday nights game would be…it was Stephen Strasburg.  Mark Bowman said on Twitter that the Nationals told Fredi Gonzalez on Sunday that he would be pitching, but it’s still unclear why they waited so long before informing the media.  Either way, after a two-hour rain delay, Strasburg had the Braves number.  In his first start in three weeks, Strasburg went five scoreless innings and only allowed four hits and one walk.  He also struck out six Braves hitters on his way to his fourth win of the season.

The Washington Nationals’ vaunted rotation, the backbone of the roster, is finally whole again. After a three-week stint on the disabled list with neck spasms, Stephen Strasburg returned rejuvenated. He no longer needed to push through any nicks and bruises. The time away allowed him to recover and reset. And on Tuesday, he looked as comfortable as he has all season while delivering five scoreless innings in a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves.

“Sometimes you just have to take a step back to realize how bad it was,” Strasburg said. “Once I did, I was able to get back to what my body was supposed to feel like instead of just trying to mentally grind through it. I feel a lot stronger and a lot more consistent now.”

ESPN

Hank Aaron takes Mo’ne Davis, teammates on Turner Field tour

Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: If you recall all the buzz around the last Little League World Series, you’ll probably remember the name Mo’ne Davis.  She became the first African-American female to play in the LLWS, the fist girl to win in the LLWS, AND the first girl to pitch a shutout in the LLWS.  Last summer the sports world couldn’t get enough of Davis.  Now she’s throwing out first pitches in MLB games, getting tours of Turner Field…she has a great story.

Hank Aaron can appreciate someone with the ability and fortitude to overcome challenges.

The former Braves slugger on Tuesday met Little League sensation Mo’ne Davis and her youth league teammates, who got a tour of Turner Field.

Davis and the Anderson Monarchs, a Philadelphia youth baseball club, stopped in Atlanta as part of the team’s three-week, 3,500-mile barnstorming tour to learn about the Civil Rights movement.

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