Baseball notebook: Strasburg earns weekly honors

More kudos for rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg: He’s the National League player of the week.

The Washington Nationals’ hard-throwing righty was given the honor Monday. He is 2-0 with 22 strikeouts and a 2.19 ERA in two major league starts.

The 22 strikeouts were the most in the majors last week. Only Karl Spooner of the 1954 Brooklyn Dodgers has fanned more batters in his first two major league starts.

Strasburg beat Cleveland on Sunday despite walking five batters. He is next scheduled to pitch on Friday against the Chicago White Sox.

Stanton’s home debut not a hot ticket in Miami

Mike Stanton doesn’t anticipate a sellout – or anything close to one – when he makes his home debut today at Sun Life Stadium.

“Tickets for Nationals rookie pitching sensation Stephen Strasburg sold out within 24 hours after his debut date was announced, but tickets to today’s Marlins game are “tracking normal,” according to team spokesman P.J. Loyello.

Stanton, 20, is off to a good start in his first week with the Marlins. He has gone 7 for 19 at the plate with a double, triple, four RBIs and two stolen bases.

Cardinals sign Suppan

The St. Louis Cardinals have signed free agent pitcher Jeff Suppan and plan to start him tonight against the Seattle Mariners.

The 35-year-old Suppan was cut by Milwaukee last week after going 0-2 with a 7.84 ERA. He was MVP of the 2006 N.L. Championship Series while with the Cardinals.

Cardinals rookie right-hander Adam Ottavino, who was 0-3 with a 7.53 ERA in three starts, was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.

If Cubs don’t change losing ways, changes on the way

The Cubs have not spoken to teams about trading anyone, sources said, though things could change drastically over the next two or three weeks if they don’t come out of their slump.

Among those considered prime trade bait are Derrek Lee, Ted Lilly, Kosuke Fukudome, Tom Gorzelanny and Xavier Nady, though Lee and Fukudome have no-trade protection. The Cubs have not asked either to waive their no-trade clauses, though Lee probably would be willing to do so for the right team.

DeJesus draws attention as trade deadline nears

For the first time in Royals outfielder David DeJesus’ career, he is likely to find his name bandied about in trade speculation.

Few players are more universally attractive than DeJesus, at age 30, a productive player in the prime of his career making $4.7 million this season while poised to make $6 million next year unless the Royals exercise a $500,000 buyout.

DeJesus can be viewed as a short-term rental for any club in playoff contention.