The Washington Nationals' game against the Pittsburgh Pirates has been postponed by rain.
Jordan Zimmermann did something in the second inning Friday night that no other pitcher in the major leagues had done this season and yet, in the Nationals much-needed 3-2 victory over the Marlins in 10 innings, he was still upstaged by one of his relievers.
PHILADELPHIA | With Jordan Zimmermann working in the sixth inning Sunday, left-hander Doug Slaten and right-hander Todd Coffey began to stir in the Washington Nationals' bullpen. The double-barreled action ended immediately after Zimmermann recorded the third out of the inning.
The Nationals and Cardinals withstood severe weather that included tornado sirens, heavy rain and wind along with lightning and hail pounding on the roof at Busch Stadium for over two hours on Tuesday night before their game was officially postponed.
Jordan Zimmermann is not a man of many words. The Nationals' enigmatic right-hander rarely shows emotion – on the mound or off it -- but even a stoic pitcher's mind can race when he's set down the first 15 batters of a baseball game without allowing a single baserunner.
There are perhaps no other three words in baseball that can have as strong an impact on a player as Tommy John surgery, a procedure that can sideline a pitcher for at least a year.
The Nationals lost their third baseman before the game, with Ryan Zimmerman out of the lineup due to an abdominal strain, and they needed to replace their first baseman when Adam LaRoche pulled up at second base with a tweaked left groin.
In the progression for Jordan Zimmermann from Nationals' heralded prospect, to Tommy John surgery survivor and back to bona-fide major league right-hander, his performance Friday afternoon on cool, cloudy day in New York City may well go down as one of the seminal moments.
Tim Hudson pitched seven solid innings in another strong start against Washington and Brian McCann had four RBIs in the Atlanta Braves' 11-2 victory over the Nationals on Sunday.
