Tommy John Surgery

SALISBURY, Md. - The Hagerstown Suns bucked a trend and came up a winner.The Suns, who were 2-24 when trailing after seven innings, scored three runs to go ahead in the eighth and an insurance run in the ninth Monday for a 6-3 victory over Delmarva. Mike Wagner hit a bases-loaded, two-run double off Delmarva reliever Jeff Montani with one out in the eighth and later scored on a wild pitch to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead. Jon Coutlangus capped the comeback in the ninth with his first home run of the season, a solo shot.

Sean Burroughs hit a two-run home run and Ian Kennedy pitched seven scoreless innings to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 2-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. Kennedy (16-4) allowed six hits, struck out eight batters, and also had a single and a double at the plate. It was Kennedy's eighth win in his last nine starts, and ended a six-game Arizona losing streak. Burroughs' homer to right field with one out in the seventh inning was his first since April 30, 2005.

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.

With his senior year still in front of him, Hagerstown resident Christian Binford has set the course for his baseball future after he graduates from Mercersburg Academy. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound right-hander has made a verbal commitment to the University of Virginia that will become official when he inks scholarship papers during the November signing period. "I've always wanted to play college baseball and I think the Atlantic Coast Conference has the best baseball," Binford said from Marietta, Ga., where he is playing in the Perfect Game Tournament.

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.

Josh Conway placed his most important signature on the dotted line of a Chicago Cubs contract and has begun his professional baseball career and the dream of reaching the major leagues. Conway - who was drafted by the Cubs in the fourth round and 134th overall in the Major League Draft on June 5 - recently signed the contract and is now in Mesa, Ariz., doing rehabilitation work on his surgically repaired right arm. “I'm very happy with the financial offer from the Cubs,” said Conway.

Christian Binford might have been too excited to get much sleep Tuesday night. During the early evening hours Tuesday, Binford got the phone call he had been waiting for all day — that he had been selected in the 30th round by the Kansas City Royals in the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. He was the 906th player selected. “I was on pins and needles all day,” said Binford. “It was a little later than I thought, but I’m overwhelmed by the opportunity to just say I was drafted.

MERCERSBURG, Pa. — Christian Binford graduated from Mercersburg Academy on Saturday. The direction he takes for the future will begin to take shape June 6-8. The Hagerstown native will have a close eye on the Major League Baseball draft and could well become the third Washington County player to be drafted in the last three years. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound right-hander also has a career ahead of him at the University of Virginia. Which route he goes will depend on draft status.

When the Lexington Legends rolled into Hagerstown around midnight on Wednesday, Christian Binford had the unusual opportunity of seeing familiar faces greet him at the hotel. His parents were on hand to take him home to get some sleep in familiar surroundings, something professional athletes don't normally have afforded them during the season. “It felt a little weird, getting off the Hagerstown exit on 81,” Binford said prior to Friday's game against the Hagerstown Suns. “I'll do this trip any time, getting to sleep at home.” The Legends, an affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, are in Hagerstown for a four-game series that runs through Sunday, but local Binford enthusiasts won't see him on the mound this trip.

The internal fortitude that makes Josh Conway a tough competitor is being tested again, much to his chagrin. On May 15, 2012, the former Smithsburg star had Tommy John surgery for a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow while pitching at Coastal Carolina University. Conway, who turned 22 last month, was still drafted as a pitcher by the Chicago Cubs in the Major League Baseball Draft and went through an extensive rehab process at the Cubs' spring training complex in Mesa, Ariz.