Goodness gracious, Jordan Zimmermann. He just threw the best game in Washington Nationals history. Thanks to the offense’s shortcomings, he also had an incredibly high Win Probability Added. Complete game shutout, one hit, one walk. Only four strikeouts, but only 91 pitches. It was an incredible effort, and is sure to put him on the national radar, when before he has been criminally underrated in the early season (no All-Star appearances).

Most Important Nationals Hit: Bryce Harper‘s triple (+9.2%)

Not much of a day for offense. The Nats did manage six hits, a veritable boon compared to every game before Thursday’s, but they were scattered well by Homer Bailey. After this hit, Jayson Werth would single to drive Harper home, accounting for the Nats’ only run of the game. Werth may have had the best offensive game, with two hits and a WPA of +7.8%. He was only one of two Nats with a positive offensive WPA, the other being Denard Span‘s +0.4%.

Most Important Nationals Pitch: Xavier Paul‘s single (-4.1%)

This was by far the most important pitch for the Reds for two reasons: 1. It came early in a close game. 2. It was their only hit. The Nationals held the Reds to just one hit for back-to-back games, which is the first time that has happened to Cincinnati since William McKinley was president. There are exactly seven people in the United States who were alive the last time it happened. I can’t say enough about how incredible this feat is. Zimmerman certainly cleared the bar Gonzalez set yesterday.

Apr 26, 2013; Washington, D.C., USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (27) pitches in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Champ of the Game: Zimmermann was +66.7%. That is, by far, the largest number I have seen in my time of running this feature. Gonzalez would likely have approached it yesterday if it weren’t for the offense’s successes. This game was a perfect storm: Zimmermann pitched incredibly, and the offense floundered. Homer Bailey (-11.5%) was the reason why the Nats’ bats floundered again, as he pitched seven dominant innings, allowing just five hits and one run.

Chump of the Game: Adam LaRoche (-9.8%) is in the deepest of funks, now hitless in his last 19 at-bats. However, as a veteran who has always had April troubles, LaRoche should not be giving us too much to worry about. Leadoff hitter Shin-Soo Choo (-14.1%) went 0-4 for Cincinnati.

March 18, 2013; Viera, FL, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche (25) hits a home run against the Detroit Tigers during the spring training game at Space Coast Stadium. Detroit beat Washington 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

There are so many unknowns in Spring Training that it is hard to take anything from it. So when you see Rafael Soriano getting singled to death and giving up several runs against the Detroit Tigers yesterday, you wonder. Was he working on things? Has he lost something? So far this Spring he has a 11.57 ERA and a .409 OBA. Using Baseball Reference’s OppQual which takes into consideration the average batter he is facing, Soriano is facing somewhere in between an average of AAA and Major League competition as of before his appearance in yesterday’s game. So the fact he’s getting hit isn’t as concerning as if he was facing guys who weren’t even close to the majors.

On a positive note, Jordan Zimmermann had his sinker working and pitched outstanding. He pitched six innings allowing only one hit to lead off the game. After that, he retired 18 straight batters and got 14 ground ball outs. With a Tigers lineup including Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, that’s mighty impressive.

Continuing with the positive, Wilson Ramos went 3/3 and raised his average this Spring to .444. If Ramos is healthy and continues to make strides as he did last year before the injury, he will not only be the starter over Kurt Suzuki but he will provide the Nationals with something they didn’t really have last year – offense from the catching position.

Adam LaRoche, who has only been hitting .143 this Spring provided the only scoring for Washington with a solo homerun off of Max Scherzer. Drew Storen worked around a hit and a walk by striking out the side in his inning of work.

Jordan Zimmermann  and Nathan Karnsgot shellacked in astonishing fashion as the St. Louis Cardinals beat up the Washington Nationals, 16-10.

Mar 8, 2013; Melbourne, FL, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (27) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the top of the second inning of a spring training game at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

After allowing two runs total in the first and second inning, Zimmermann fell apart in the third, allowing six runs as he struggled with both location and velocity. After the game, manager Davey Johnson said that Zimmermann had a case of “dead arm”, meaning that he is suffering from general fatigue in the arm. In his postgame remarks, Johnson said “there is nothing to be worried about”, while Zimmermann made no mention of any ailment. After finally escaping the third inning, Zimmermann was relieved by Rafael Soriano, who allowed a leadoff double but retired the next three batters, including one by strikeout, in a scoreless inning. Prospect Nathan Karns, who entered to pitch the fifth, was not nearly as fortunate. He allowed seven runs thanks to an error by third baseman Anthony Rendon. However, thankfully for his statline, only one of these runs was earned. After the game, it was revealed that Karns has a right leg injury, and that he will soon be seeing a doctor. Karns was unable to finish the inning, recording only two outs while the third was taken care of by reliever Cole Kimball, who retired the first and only batter he faced.

Mar 8, 2013; Melbourne, FL, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Micah Owings celebrates with Ian Desmond (20) after hitting a solo homerun to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning of a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

As you might expect, with all the runs they scored, the Cardinals posted some incredible statlines, led by CF Shane Robinson and 2B Matt Carpenter. Robinson was 2-3 with a walk, three runs scored, and four RBI, while Carpenter was 4-4 with a run and an RBI. After these two atrocious outings, the Washington pitching was surprisingly good for the game’s remaining four innings. Notoriously wild fireballer Henry Rodriguez came on to pitch the sixth, and many Nats fans from a few years ago may have thought he was put in simply to add fuel to the fire. This was not the case, and Rodriguez looked effective in recording a 1-2-3 inning. Tyler Clippard was similarly strong in his 1-2-3 seventh, with two strikeouts to boot. Lefty Patrick McCoy, a non-roster invitee, pitched the eighth and ninth, allowing just one run on three hits and a walk.

For most of the game, things on offense seemed just as grim as the pitching. Heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Nationals trailed 16-3, with the only runs coming from a two-run Bryce Harper triple in the third and a Ryan Zimmerman double in the sixth. In the ninth, however, the backups exploded for seven runs off St. Louis relievers Keith Butler and Victor Marte. Micah Owings, the pitcher-turned-position player, and Zach Walters both hit home runs, while Matt Skole, Chris Marrero, and Steve Lombardozzi added RBI hits.

Next Game: Saturday vs. Miami, 1:05 ET