Stephen Strasburg

On Monday, Brandon King hadn't given much thought to being picked in the Major League Baseball amateur draft that began Tuesday. The Washington Nationals gave the new Martinsburg High School graduate just a little extra to think about after they selected him to start the 27th round on Wednesday. King, a pitcher and third baseman in high school, was drafted as a pitcher. A day after selecting Stephen Strasburg with the No. 1 pick and Drew Storen with the 10th pick, the Nationals continued to draft pitchers and added King to the list.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Stephen Strasburg's right arm has the Nationals on edge again. Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said the team will wait for results of an MRI exam on Strasburg before deciding what to do with their injured ace right-hander. Strasburg strained a tendon in his right forearm in Saturday night's start against the Phillies. Rizzo said he went through his normal post-start workout Sunday that included some light tossing, and he hoped to have the MRI results by the end of Sunday.

Stephen Strasburg struck out 13 in six innings, Bryce Harper homered and the Washington Nationals beat the Boston Red Sox 7-4 on Friday night for the franchise's first victory at Fenway Park. Harper hit a two-run shot in the fourth and an RBI single in the sixth as the club improved to 1-9 at Boston's iconic home. The Montreal Expos dropped all six of their games there before moving to Washington. Strasburg (7-1) threw a career-high 119 pitches, including 33 in his final inning when he worked out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam. He finished one strikeout shy of his career high of 14, set on June 8, 2010 - exactly two years ago to the day Friday - against Pittsburgh in his major league debut.

Stephen Strasburg struck out seven in five innings, giving up one earned run on two hits in a rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday night. It was Strasburg's fifth minor league appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. The right-hander threw every pitch in his arsenal, displaying a fastball that registered as high as 98 mph, while mixing in a devastating curveball to go along with his changeup. It was an overpowering start against the Rochester Redwings, as Strasburg threw 64 pitches with 47 strikes.

Stephen Strasburg made his third appearance of the season with the Hagerstown Suns on Monday night and continued to create excitement in the stands. Fans talked about Strasburg's "tremendous" ability, the joy of seeing him in a historic baseball park and watching him in a minor league setting that seems more like baseball than the professional level. "I think he's a pretty good prospect. Great talent," said Brook Gladfelter, who joined friends from Pittsburgh to see Strasburg pitch in a game against the Hickory Crawdads.

Stephen Strasburg's trip back to the major leagues will make another stop in Hagerstown. The Hagerstown Suns announced that the Washington Nationals pitching star will pitch on Wednesday against Lexington at Municipal Stadium. It will be Strasburg's second appearance with the Suns as he continues his comeback from elbow surgery. How many innings and pitches Strasburg throws in the outing has yet to be determined. Strasburg made his comeback debut with the Suns on Aug. 7 with a stint of 1 2/3 innings against Greensboro.

Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg may have irritated a nerve in his right arm using an electrical stimulation machine. The machines are used by athletes to build strength and are attached with adhesive electrodes. Manager Davey Johnson said the device could have been placed too close to a nerve in Strasburg's pitching arm, leading to discomfort in Monday night's start against the Atlanta Braves. Johnson said the Nationals do not expect Strasburg to have continued problems with the irritated nerve but it was too early to determine whether Strasburg will make his next scheduled start Saturday at Pittsburgh.

After the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals each lost in Game 5 of the first round of the 2012 playoffs, fans of both teams have been waiting for Major League Baseball's Opening Day with high expectations. “I'm looking forward to the season and seeing how far we can go,” Orioles fan Fred Parson, 26, of Chambersburg, said Monday. “I think it's time to make that next step and go to the next round of the playoffs.” Mike Mason, 46, of Hagerstown, is a Nationals fan who said he had been waiting for Opening Day all winter.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The anticipation is nearly over. The 21-year-old with the fastball that approaches 100 mph and the curve that freezes batters is about to take the mound in the nation's capital. Stephen Strasburg is set to make his Washington Nationals debut Tuesday night. Standing room only tickets went on sale Monday, all part of a rare Nationals Park sellout. The Internet is humming with offers for good seats. More than 200 requests for media credentials have been submitted, forcing officials to turn a dining area into a work space to accommodate all those reporters with laptops.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In negotiations that went right to the deadline, No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals agreed Monday to a record-breaking contract worth about $15 million over four years. "He's chomping at the bit to get out on the mound. He's ultra-, ultra-competitive," acting Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said, "and I think he was getting a little tired of sitting around the house. " The San Diego State pitcher's deal is worth roughly 50 percent more than the previous highest guaranteed deal for a player in baseball's amateur draft, the $10.5 million Mark Prior got from the Chicago Cubs in 2001.