All season, Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann has performed well enough at least to etch his name among the sport’s elite. Ignore that 8-11 record. By almost every statistical measure he has done what starting pitchers are supposed to do — give his team a chance to win on a consistent basis. But one issue keeping Zimmermann out of that esteemed group of 10 or 15 top pitchers is his inability to finish games. It happened earlier this season in Baltimore on May 22 when a 1-0 lead in the seventh turned into a 2-1 deficit on a Vladimir Guerrero homer. It happened Aug.?11 at Chicago when a 1-1 game turned into a 4-1 deficit after the Cubs hit two seventh-inning homers off Zimmermann.
The Diamondbacks got him again Tuesday. In a scoreless game with one out in the seventh, Zimmermann walked Chris Young. After a visit from pitching coach Steve McCatty, he gave up a two-run homer to Sean Burroughs. A pitch that was supposed to be down and away caught too much of the plate and landed in the right-field stands.
“He was cruising,” McCatty said. But just like that the Nats were behind.
Zimmermann admitted to some frustration after the game. It always seems like one pitch sinks him in those late-game situations. Of course, his teammates could get him some help at the plate. The game was scoreless. But Zimmermann said lack of focus is not an issue in those spots. He reminded reporters that in 2009 he almost always struggled to get through the first inning of games without any damage and found a way to fix that flaw this season. Zimmermann will have one more chance in 2011. An innings limit will end his season after Sunday’s start in Cincinnati.
“You got to let guys go out there and learn how to get through those,” McCatty said. “And he’s going to do that. He will do that. He’s got great stuff. He’s a great competitor. I know that he’s disappointed and upset. Guys that are like that, they get through it because they don’t quit. It’s a painful learning experience. But we’ve all been through it.”
– Brian McNally
