By James Bailey
Randy Johnson vs Jordan Zimmermann
San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals
June 3, 2009
All eyes will be on Washington as Randy Johnson goes for win No. 300. With a victory he’ll tie Lefty Grove and Early Wynn for 22nd on the all-time list. Zimmermann is just 298 wins away from the plateau. The Nationals rookie has the stuff to win a lot of games for Washington, but he needs to break out of the tailspin he’s been in since his hot start.
The Big Unit hasn’t won back-to-back starts yet this season, and he’s been horrible on the road, going 0-2 with an 8.50 ERA away from the Bay Area. His home-road splits couldn’t be more distinct. On the road he’s been pounded for a .338 average and has walked 16 batters against 14 strikeouts. At home he owns a sensational 40-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio and opponents have hit just .244 against him. The results: 4-2 with a 4.24 ERA. Of course, he’ll be facing the lowly Nationals, who are just 8-16 at home, so it’s not like this is the toughest road environment he’ll encounter this season. He’s already beaten them once this year, striking out nine and walking none in a five inning outing on May 11. He gave up four runs in that game, but the Giants backed him with plenty of support en route to an 11-7 victory. The 45-year-old lefty still brings the heat and mixes in a nasty slider, but he’s not what he was even a few years ago. Second on the all-time list with 4,843 strikeouts, he has 14 seasons of 200 or more K’s, but he hasn’t topped that plateau since 2005. Since posting a 2.60 ERA for Arizona in 2004, he’s accumulated a 4.31 mark over the past four-plus seasons. Still, he’s capable of shutting a team down. Just ask the Rockies and Diamondbacks, both of whom he shut out for seven innings earlier this season.
After winning his only two April starts, Zimmermann endured a long and ugly May, going 0-2 with a 7.27 ERA in six starts last month. He’s got to be glad to see the calendar turn. He’s struck out 47 against just 14 walks, so control hasn’t been the issue. His problem is the first inning. Sixteen of the 31 runs he’s allowed have been in the first frame. He has only held the opposition scoreless in the first inning once in his eight starts, back in his debut. After the first, his ERA drops to 3.55. Maybe he should warm up longer in the bullpen. Overall he’s 2-2 with a 6.07 ERA in eight starts. The top pitching prospect in the Nationals organization, he climbed the ladder quickly, reaching Double-A Harrisburg less than a year after he signed. The Nationals tabbed him as their No. 5 starter in training camp, assigning him to Triple-A Syracuse only until they needed him to fill out the rotation. He wound up making just one start in the International League before he was called up. A second-round pick out of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2007, he’s one of four rookies in the Nationals rotation. (Craig Stammen, Shairon Martis, and Ross Detwiler are the other three.) Zimmermann, 23, has faced the Giants once this season, taking no decision in a 9-7 loss. In that start he allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings and struck out eight.
{ 1 comment }
Congrats to the Big Unit. It took an extra day because of the rain, but he was up to the task. Zimmermann pitched very well, too, but didn’t get any support. He’s still 298 wins away.
Comments on this entry are closed.