Stephen Strasburg Begins Impossible Quest To Live Up To Hype Today

Stephen Strasburg will make his first start in a Nationals uniform this afternoon at 1:05 p.m. ET. He is expected to pitch about two innings against the Tigers. If he throws 18 total pitches, all for strikes, without allowing a single batter to even make contact, he'll be on his way of living up to the hype. ("The best I've ever seen," says a longtime scout. "And it's not even close.")

The game is being shown nationally on MLB Network, or if you're stuck at work, it'll be available at mlb.tv. You can also discuss the game with other fans at Federal Baseball, and follow along with Nats Insider's Mark Zuckerman, who is at the game in Florida.

UPDATE: Strasburg's first outing was a total failure. He gave up two hits. TWO! He also gave up no runs, racked up one backwards K on a nasty slider and generally looked pretty strong, all of which would be acceptable were he a mere mortal.