Stephen Strasburg spent the last 11 months doing more than just rehabilitating his elbow. He spent it getting himself in better shape.If anything, that should make him an even more powerful pitcher than he was as a rookie, a daunting prospect for National League hitters in years to come.The Washington Nationals' most prized possession was on target and up to speed Sunday in his first rehab start since Tommy John surgery. Twenty-five of 31 pitches were strikes, his fastball was in the upper 90s, and he struck out four while allowing one run over 1 2/3 innings for the Class A Hagerstown Suns in a 7-5 loss to the Greensboro Grasshoppers. [Read the full article]

Nobuyoshi Gokyu, CEO and president of Nikon Inc., throws out the first pitch in a baseball game between the Boston...Brett Gardner: Ties career-high with his 5th home run of the season.1st career HR vs Red Sox comes in his 148th at-bat against them.Entering today: Gardner had 15 plate appearances against the Red Sox in the 7th inning or later this season. All 3 of his hits were infield hits. He hit one ball beyond the infield dirt-- a popup to shortstopBOSTON -- Josh Reddick rounded first and took a right turn toward right field. The Red Sox rookie has been around long to figure out what was going to happen.ESPNBoston.comAfter a delicious series at Fenway, we can't help but hope that Sox-Yankees is on the playoff menu, writes Gordon Edes. [Read the full article]

Brad Keselowski was inspired Sunday by a relative in the Navy Seals, and that was all he needed to push through his painful ankle injury.Keselowski's cousin lost a friend who was one of 30 American service members who died when their helicopter was shot down during fighting in eastern Afghanistan. The NASCAR driver took the sacrifice to heart, and vowed he would not leave his car no matter how bad he hurt.Davis: Pain, Pride, HonorBrad Keselowski has a broken ankle, a tenuous grasp on a Chase spot and the attitude that if he was going to race at Pocono, he was going to race well. His win helped deliver a thriller to fans everywhere, writes K. Lee Davis. StorySo Keselowski went out and raced all 500 miles of the Sprint Cup stop at Pocono Raceway with a broken left ankle. [Read the full article]

Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius was chosen by South Africa's athletics federation to join this month's world championships.Pistorius called the selection a culmination of his dream to compete at the highest level against able-bodied athletes.[+] EnlargeAttila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty ImagesOscar Pistorius will be the first amputee to compete at the world championships when he represents South Africa in South Korea as its only runner in the 400 meters.He will be the first amputee athlete at the worlds when he represents South Africa in Daegu, South Korea, as its only runner in the 400 meters. He was also chosen for the 4x400 relay. [Read the full article]