NATIONALS NOTEBOOK
Zimmerman Arrives at Resting Point
Tuesday, September 19, 2006; Page E07
With his star third baseman showing signs of fatigue, Washington Nationals Manager Frank Robinson decided to leave Ryan Zimmerman out of the starting lineup for last night's series opener against the Atlanta Braves at RFK Stadium.
"He's a little out of whack right now," Robinson said before the game. "It's a little of everything. Mentally he's not there, physically he's not there. I think he has been [tired] earlier in the year, but I think he's really showing it now."
ON THE FIELD Jesus Flores' two-run, ninth-inning double gives the Nationals a 4-3 win over the Marlins. Notebook: The Nationals trade left-handed reliever Ray King, the most veteran member of their pitching staff, to the Brewers for a player to be named. Boswell: The statistics show a return to normalcy in baseball and the end of the Steroid Era. Minor Leagues: Justin Maxwell has come out of the slump he was in after straining an oblique muscle by sneezing and is now hitting .423 with 24 homers. NATIONALS REPORTBy the Numbers89: Errors for the Nationals through Monday. Through 138 games a year ago, they had 113 errors. Personnel Dept.OF Ryan Langerhans hit his first homer of a 14-game stint with Class AAA Columbus on Monday, just before he was called up. "I felt a lot more comfortable," he said. "My approach was a lot better." Langerhans will be used primarily as a defensive replacement. ... The club activated LHP Micah Bowie, who hadn't pitched in the majors since June because of a hip injury. ... The club announced that Centerplate would replace Aramark as the concessionaire at the new ballpark in 2008. Quotable"He certainly was a good influence on our young pitchers, had a lot to do with some of their developments. Our clubhouse was a better place with Ray King a part of it." -- GM Jim Bowden NATIONALS JOURNALBarry Svrluga provides the latest news on the Nationals. MULTIMEDIA Podcasts: Postgame audio from Barry Svrluga and video from Washington Post Live. Slideshow: A crowd of 40,389 pack into RFK Stadium to open up the 2007 baseball season. Photos: Manny Acta returns home. Webcam: Check back daily and follow the progress of construction on the stadium. Save & Share |
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Zimmerman is one of the leading contenders for the National League rookie of the year award, having hit .280 with 18 home runs and 97 RBI -- three shy of becoming just the fifth rookie in the last 18 years to reach 100.
However, he is 4 for 25 in his last six games.
"I'm just barely missing pitches, fouling back or fouling them off and missing them," he said. "Pitches that I can hit well I'm popping out instead of getting on top of them."
Zimmerman said he does not believe fatigue has been a factor in his first full pro season. Last year, after finishing his University of Virginia career, he played in only 67 games with Class A Savannah and AA Harrisburg before getting called up by the Nationals and making 20 appearances.
"If you can go this far, you can play for 13 more games," he said. "I think everyone is a little tired, not just me, everyone in the whole league. The most important thing is nothing hurts. Everything is fine."
Catcher Brian Schneider, bothered by a groin injury, was also given the day off. He is scheduled to sit out tonight's game as well when Atlanta offers a left-handed starter, Chuck James. Robert Fick, who had started 16 games behind the plate this year, replaced Schneider.
Minor Move Is Possible
Team president Stan Kasten and General Manager Jim Bowden were in Columbus, Ohio, yesterday to explore the possibility of moving the club's Class AAA affiliate there. Washington's agreement with New Orleans expires this year and the team is considering several options.