Missed it by THAT much.

Apologies for the lack of linkagery yesterday - I readily admit to being bummed out by Atilano being the third Nats pitcher to be used as a chew toy by the Tigers offense, but I also had a raft of errands to run yesterday that kept me away from the keyboard. So...on the off chance you haven't seen or heard enough about it already, here's the AP recap for the Thursday game.

Moving right along, yesterday the Pale Hose and the First Fan came to Cominskey Nationals Park and presumably went away happy as the Sox beat the Nats in extra innings despite Strasburg turning in another double-digit set of K's before heading to the shower. Patrick Reddington does his usual fine job on the recap, with lots of Strasburg quotes. Also from Reddington at Federal Baseball, a quick snip of Riggleman's comments from the pregame about rehabbing starters Jordan Zimmerman and Jason Marquis.

Ben Goessling thinks the Nats' chances for a playoff berth are fading, and he's not the only one. Me, I never took those chances too seriously - it's a long season, with plenty of time for perennial contenders like the Braves and Mets to retool, reload, and re-establish their dominance. Harper at Nationals Baseball asks the question: deal or no deal, and who gets dealt? Lively discussion in the comments.

Chris Needham is not happy. Clearly, the bloom is off the Strasmas rose for Chris. ;-)
Things were none too good down on the farm either, as Brian Oliver reports. Brian also provides a link to John Sickels' evaluation of the Nationals' 2010 draft.  Not only that, Brian joins forces forces with Steven of Fire Jim Bowden for a draft review podcast of EXTRAORDINARY MAGNITUDE.

On the other hand, Rachel at Nationals Fangirls is unhappy over missing the first Strasmas.  

And we'll see you here again tomorrow.