On the cusp of making what some people expect to be a franchise-altering draft choice, the Nationals got some not-so-great news today about the guy that's currently the best young pitcher in the organization. The Washington Times is reporting that Jordan Zimmermann will miss tonight's start against the Reds with soreness in his pitching elbow. As ugly as that sounds, the reports are that this isn't a serious injury and he'll be able to make his next start against the Rays this weekend. Of course, that's only if you believe what the Nationals are saying right now. Elbow problems for young pitchers are never good things, and soreness now could indicate something worse down the round.
Through his first nine starts, Zimmermann's been pretty impressive for the Nats. His 5.71 ERA is ugly, but his 9.3 K/9 rate and his 3.86 K/BB ratio are sterling for a 23-year-old with such little big-league experience. If (and that's a big if since we don't really know what's wrong with him) he's really hurt, it would be a big blow for the Nationals because Zimmermann's been one of the few bright spots for them this year.
Anyways, let the Strasburg parties commence in D.C. If Zimmermann isn't hurt too badly, they're setting up one heck of a 1-2 rotation punch with him and today's No. 1 pick.
