Good afternoon DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Check out some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Benjamin Standig discusses Ryan Zimmerman and Max Scherzer, who are the latest injury concernes for the Washington Nationals. Neither injury is considered serious, but both are definitely concerning for a team that has already suffered a great deal of injuries this season.
Zimmerman, who did not look 100 percent healthy running the bases last night, is suffering from plantar fasciitis. The injury doesn’t affect him when he’s hitting, but it does bother him when he’s running the bases.
Scherzer jammed his pitching hand while hitting in the fifth inning of last night’s game. He returned to the game and pitched well in the sixth inning so he should be fine, but the injury is definitely something the Nationals will be keeping an eye on in the coming days. Scherzer is expected to make his next start.
Also in today’s Daily, Standig discusses Matt Grace‘s solid MLB debut in Wednesday night’s game against the Cardinals. For a bullpen that has seen several young pitchers choke in key moments this season, seeing Grace throw a scoreless inning and keep the game within reach is definitely a good sign.
It’s too soon to tell how long Grace will stay with the big league club, but given the struggles of other relievers on the staff, it looks like his spot in the ‘pen is his to lose.
Be sure to check out the articles below, they’re definitely worth a read.
Injuries to Zimmerman, Scherzer add to Nats’ malaise
WASHINGTON — Lots of little things led the Nationals’ latest loss. In the process, their list of injury concerns grew a tad longer.
After Thursday’s early evening 4-1 setback against the St. Louis Cardinals, Nationals manager Matt Williams revealed the following:
• First baseman Ryan Zimmerman‘s previously unknown case of plantar fasciitis in his left foot had flared up.
• Starter Max Scherzer gave up the go-ahead run in the sixth after jamming his pitching hand while batting in the fifth.
Various injuries in recent seasons played a part in Zimmerman shifting to first from third. He described his new malady as a “bone bruise on my heel.” Zimmerman said he’s never dealt with this type of foot injury and has been dealing with this “the past four or five days.” Read full article here.
Grace’s whirlwind day ends with successful MLB debut
WASHINGTON — The only Nationals reliever not to allow a run in Wednesday’s 7-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals started his day in Syracuse, and ended it making his Major League debut with the labors of air travel in between.
“Kind of a whirlwind,” left-hander Matt Grace said.
Based on his play-by-play of the long day, the easiest part was the pitching.
Moments away from starting a day game against the Rochester Red Wings of the International League, Grace learned he needed to hop on a plane because Washington needed another arm before battling the Cardinals of the National League at 7:05 p.m. ET. Read full article here.