Normally, TBS has to schedule its Sunday afternoon baseball games 20 days in advance until August. But not with the Washington Nationals pitcher. On Thursday, TBS announced it got permission to drop its scheduled Sunday game — Philadelphia Phillies-Boston Red Sox — to carry Strasburg, at the Cleveland Indians in his second major league start (1 p.m. ET.)

TBS will add Dennis Eckersley to game coverage, with Dick Stockton and Buck Martinez, for a pitcher's perspective. Not that Eckersley, a six-time All-Star over a 24-year MLB career, has any advice: "I wish I did. But I can't relate. I just can't."

Eckersley suggests Strasburg's early stats will be helped by playing in the National League and getting to pitch to pitchers — "but every time I say something bad about the NL, I get in trouble" — and it didn't hurt that Strasburg's stunning debut was vs. the weak-hitting Pittsburgh Pirates. "But if somebody could have had that kind of control with that adrenaline, I don't care who you're facing. And I didn't know he had that great changeup."

And he doesn't expect batters to catch up after they've faced Strasburg a few times: "Not when you have his stuff. I don't care if you've had 10 looks at him. I just love his delivery."

Eckersley can't recall another young pitcher getting so much attention. "Maybe Fernando Valenzuela in '81. But he threw three shutouts before everybody started paying attention. But this is a different day and age, when ESPN covers your minor league starts." And other TV networks redo their lineup cards to pencil in Strasburg.