ESPN: Limiting the damage was one of the reasons
Jordan Zimmermann was able to win 19 games last year. His failure to do so thus far has contributed to an uneven first two months, something he will try to overcome Wednesday night when the Washington Nationals conclude their rain-shortened series with the Miami Marlins.
Zimmermann (3-2, 2.96) was 8-2 with a 1.71 ERA and three complete games at this time last year heading into his final May start, having given up more than two runs once in 10 outings. A key component to his success was his ability to avoid the big inning -- opponents were able to score more than one run off him in an inning once in 73 2-3 innings.
It's been a different story this year for the right-hander, who has given up two or more runs in an inning nine times in his 10 starts spanning 54 2/3 innings.
Zimmermann was reached for two runs in both the second and fourth innings in a 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Friday. The second run in the second scored on a wild pitch and a two-run homer by Pedro Alvarez in the fourth created a deficit too large for the Nationals (25-26) to overcome.
The inconsistencies of Zimmermann, who has allowed opponents to hit .309 with two outs and .269 with runners in scoring position after limiting them to .235 and .223, respectively, in 2013, were encapsulated in his two starts against Miami last month. He gave up five runs and got only five outs before Washington rallied for a 10-7 victory April 9, then limited the Marlins to two runs in seven innings of a 9-2 win five days later. He has gone 5-3 with a 3.84 ERA in 13 lifetime starts against Miami, but 2-2 with a 5.74 mark in six at home.
