District Daily: Nationals Hope Zimmerman Returns Late This Month
By Pablo Roa
Jul 22, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Ryan Zimmerman (11) reacts after getting injured running out a single in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning DoD readers! As you try to recover from last night’s crazy, nerve-racking win over the Dodgers, get caught up on all the latest Washington Nationals news with our District Daily!
Nats hope Zimmerman returns late this month
LOS ANGELES — There haven’t been any new developments on Ryan Zimmerman‘s recovery from a Grade 3 right hamstring strain, other than he is getting better and jogging. He still hasn’t participated in baseball activities.
However, Nationals manager Matt Williams talked about Zimmerman’s role when he returns to action, which will hopefully be by late September. Read full article here.
For National League contenders, playoff goal should be clear: Avoid Clayton Kershaw
(Thomas Boswell, Washington Post)
It’s easy to say “World Series.” It’s hard as the devil to get there. So many things stand in your way. Large things. Such as Clayton Kershaw.
All players know but many fans never truly sense how tough it is to win a title in a 30-team sport or capture a pennant in a 15-team league. The odds are obvious; it’s a once-in-a-generation goal. But it can help sharpen focus and correctly calibrate expectations if there is one formidable symbol of the massive difficulty of the task — such as Kershaw, who is roughly as good as Sandy Koufax. Read full article here.
Nationals most likely to clinch NL East against Marlins
(Neil Greenberg, Washington Post)
At the risk of jinxing it, the Washington Nationals should see postseason play this season. They have a seven game lead on the Atlanta Braves for the NL East division title and have been in control of their own destiny for some time now.
The Nats’ magic number to clinch is 18. That means any combination of Washington wins and Atlanta losses will assure the Nationals’ the NL East crown.
So when is this most likely to happen? Read full article here.