Ready to celebrate after a second straight strong performance by one of their young starting pitchers, the Nationals instead had to temper their enthusiasm on Wednesday night. After a 3-1 victory over the New York Mets, the club placed rookie right-handed pitcher Jordan Zimmermann on the 15-day disabled list with elbow inflamation.
Zimmermann first felt discomfort while throwing a side session earlier in the week. The 23-year-old was scheduled to start on Thursday against the Cardinals. Instead, that assignment goes to Collin Balester, who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
Recommended Stories
“It’s just a little inflammation and we’re just going to be cautious,” Zimmermann said. “I’m not really concerned at all. Just give it a little rest here and come back with a rehab start and be ready to go.”
The plan all season has been for the Nats to limit Zimmermann’s innings. Acting general manager Mike Rizzo has said that about 130-140 innings is all the team would be comfortable asking of a pitcher in his first major-league season. So far, Zimmermann has pitched 91 1/3 innings with a 4.63 ERA and a 3-5 record. But he also has struck out 92 batters and walked just 29.
