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As the regular season winds down, the controversy surrounding Nationals and pitcher Stephen Strasburg is only going to increase. Washington has reiterated its stance that the right-hander will be shut down once he hits 180 innings. So far, he's tossed 133 1/3 innings. It's expected that Strasburg (13-5, 2.90 ERA) will miss a handful of starts and all of the postseason. While it's easy to understand why the organization wants to protect Strasburg's arm after he underwent Tommy John surgery, it will still be stunning if the team sidelines its ace during the playoffs.