District Daily: Ryan Zimmerman to Take Batting Practice, Bullpen Has Been Dominant
By Kenny DeJohn
May 26, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Tyler Clippard (36) throws during the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Following last night’s rainout of the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins, check out this morning’s latest Nats news in our District Daily.
Zimmerman set to take BP, field grounders
WASHINGTON — Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman will take batting practice and field ground balls Wednesday for the first time since fracturing his right thumb on April 12 against the Braves, manager Matt Williams said Tuesday.
Team doctors cleared Zimmerman to resume baseball activities on Monday after X-rays showed his fracture had sufficiently healed. He threw lightly before the Nationals’ series-opening loss to the Marlins on Monday, and he also threw from around 90 feet before Tuesday night’s game.
Williams said Zimmerman, who will miss his 41st straight game on Wednesday, took front-toss in the batting cage without any issue, but the team will be careful with the entire rehab process. Read full article here.
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Nats’ bullpen has been lights-out through two months
WASHINGTON — Heading into Tuesday night’s postponed contest against the Marlins, the Nationals’ bullpen boasted a 2.09 ERA, which ranked first in the Major Leagues. Reliever Tyler Clippard said the group’s exceptional performance so far this season has been a function of each pitcher understanding his respective role.
Right-hander Drew Storen has typically pitched the seventh inning, Clippard the eighth and closer Rafael Soriano the ninth. Meanwhile, left-hander Ross Detwiler and right-hander Craig Stammen — who manager Matt Williams said are “vital” to the bullpen’s success because of their ability to pitch multiple innings — have taken on the middle innings.
“The bullpen is a pretty chaotic environment, in general,” said Clippard, who had compiled a 1.54 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings heading into Tuesday. “So when you can kind of get a feel of knowing when you’re going to get in the game and prepare properly, you have a better chance of success.” Read full article here.
Rainout alters mound matchup for Nats-Marlins in DC
Tuesday night’s game between the Marlins and Nationals was postponed due to inclement weather, and the teams decided differently with respect to their probable starting pitchers for Wednesday night’s series finale.
Right-hander Tom Koehler was expected to make the start for the Marlins, but manager Mike Redmond opted to push right-hander Henderson Alvarez from Tuesday to Wednesday. Koehler will make his start at home against the Braves on Friday.
Meanwhile, Nationals manager Matt Williams made the opposite move. The team will skip Blake Treinen — Tuesday night’s starter — and make the right-hander available in the bullpen. Jordan Zimmermann will make his scheduled start on Wednesday. Williams said he decided on the right-handed Zimmermann in order to keep his starting rotation on normal rest. Read full article here.