District Daily: Nationals Need All-Star Game Help, Zimmermann Wins NL Honor
By Kenny DeJohn
Jun 8, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (27) is congratulated by catcher Jose Lobaton (59) after the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The Nationals defeated the Padres 6-0. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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LaRoche, Rendon need help in All-Star voting
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Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper hasn’t played a game since April 25 because of a left thumb injury, but he is still getting respect from fans, who would like to see him in the All-Star Game in Minnesota in July. As of Monday evening, Harper had received 435,075 votes, which is 14th among NL outfielders.
First baseman Adam LaRoche and third baseman Anthony Rendon deserve votes. LaRoche is arguably the Nationals’ best hitter, leading the team in batting average (.306) and on-base percentage (.412). He’s also one of the best defensive first basemen in the game.
Entering his first full season in the big leagues, Rendon is among the team leaders in home runs, RBIs and runs scored. Read full article here.
Zimmermann tabbed as NL Player of Week
Arguably the most dominant performance by a starting pitcher in Nationals history has earned Jordan Zimmermann the honor of National League Player of the Week.
The right-hander’s week was highlighted by a spectacular outing on Sunday against the Padres, as Zimmermann took a perfect game into the sixth inning and finished with a two-hit shutout that featured 12 strikeouts and zero walks. According to Bill James’ game score, a metric used to measure pitching performances, Zimmermann’s score of 95 ranked as the best in Nationals history (2005-present).
Zimmermann became the second starter in Nationals history to strike out at least 12 without walking a batter in a complete game (John Patterson on Aug. 4, 2005), and he threw 83 of his 114 pitches for strikes. Zimmermann, Patterson and Stephen Strasburg are the only three pitchers in franchise history to strike out 12 or more batters in a game. Read full article here.
Washington mayor tosses first pitch for Grays game
WASHINGTON, DC — Washington, D.C., Mayor Vincent C. Gray threw out the first pitch before the D.C. Grays and the Baltimore Redbirds squared off in Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League action Monday night at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.
The Academy, which cost $18 million to build, includes three playing fields — Little League baseball, full-size baseball and softball — indoor batting cages, seven classrooms, a teaching kitchen and community event space. It officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 29 before the Nationals took batting practice.
The facility is located on a nine-acre plot in Fort Dupont Park and provides after-school and summer programs for boys and girls in the city’s 7th and 8th Wards, which are collectively home to some of the nation’s worst child poverty, unemployment and high school graduation rates. Read full article here.