26-year old righty swinging 3B Ryan Zimmerman has played really well for the Nationals in 2011, when he has been healthy. Zimmerman has played in 74 games for the Nationals so far this year and he is 89 for 294 (.303 avg, .841 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 10 homers, 38 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 818 games in his first 7 years with the Nationals and he is 922 for 3,182 (.290 avg, .839 OPS) with 476 runs scored, 126 homers, 487 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. Zimmerman is still the cornerstone of the Washington Nationals’ franchise.

The Nationals have decided to shut down 25-year old righty starting pitcher Jordan Zimmerman for the rest of the 2011 season to protect his right arm. Zimmerman pitched in 26 games (all starts) for the Nationals this year and he was 8-11 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He gave up 154 hits while only walking 31 batters in 161 1/3 innings this year for the Nationals. He also whiffed 124 batters this year. Zimmerman has now pitched in 49 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Nationals and he is 12-18 with a 3.84 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. It was probably a smart move to shut Zimmerman down, as he has a very bright future with the Nationals.

26-year old lefty starting pitcher John Lannan has been solid this whole year for the Nationals. He has pitched in 27 games (all starts) for the Nationals so far this year and he is 8-10 with a 3.59 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Lannan has only allowed 153 hits in 155 innings so far this year, but he has run into some trouble because of his control at times as he has walked 65 batters this year. That being said, Lannan should have more wins than he has so far this year, because he has pitched pretty well.

The Nationals have placed 27-year old righty reliever Ryan Mattheus on the 15-day disabled list due to right shoulder tightness. Mattheus has pitched in 32 games (0 starts) for the Nationals last night and he is 2-2 with a 2.40 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He has only given up 24 hits in 30 innings so far this year but he has also walked 14 batters, which is too many. Mattheus also only has 11 whiffs so far this year, which isn’t too good for a guy with the kind of stuff that he has.

30-year old righty swinging outfielder Jonny Gomes has not added much to the Nationals since they acquired him in a deal with the Reds last month. Gomes has played in 19 games for the Nationals so far this year and he is 10 for 51 (.196 avg, .653 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs. He has now played in 96 games overall for the Reds & Nationals this year and he is 56 for 269 (.208 avg, .720 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 13 homers, 39 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. The Nationals need Gomes to get his act back together because they need his power.