Zimmerman and Zimmermann May Wake Up Nats

So far, they appear to have done it. The Teixeira negotiations were with Boras, so he knows the dollars on the table were real. The Dunn deal was at the same or higher prices than were paid for free agent outfielders Milton Bradley, Raúl Ibáñez and Pat Burrell. Beimel's $2 million was a market contract. Olsen and Willingham got sensible market-value deals without going to arbitration. And most importantly, Zimmerman's $45 million is right in the range of recent contracts for Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Nick Markakis.

So in less than a year, a pitching rotation that includes Zimmermann, and perhaps Strasburg, could force a complete reevaluation of current conventional Nats wisdom.

How good is Z'nn? His last start in Class AAA was rained out, so he could only pitch a simulated game. Then his debut was pushed back from Sunday to Monday. Then his start was delayed 130 minutes by rain. Then he had to work in intermittent cold drizzle. Welcome to the big leagues, kid. How do you like adversity?

First inning: Strike, strike, strike, strike, strike, strike, strike. Seven pitches, Braves down in order. Radar gun: 95, 96. His one bad pitch was an 0-2 fastball he should have wasted but left over the plate for a two-run homer. Z'nn also struck out Chipper Jones on a curve, probably his best pitch, that broke a foot and a half.

The day after Mike Mussina's debut, I knew I had seem something special. I simply knew. I doubt Z'nn's in that exalted class. Don't demand the moon. His four-seam fastball might be a bit straight. His two-seam fastball sinks fine. His curve and slider are "plus pitches" in scout lingo. Change-up? No verdict. His control and mechanics are excellent, but his command, on Monday, was merely good. He got enough of the heart of the plate to give up six hits.

However, he and Lannan are already the Nats' best starting pitchers. In a month, a revised estimate may be necessary.

All recent mockery of the Nats is based in reality: the "resignation" of Jim Bowden, the Natinals, the 0-7 start, the night Mike Rizzo fired half the bullpen. And to add pain, Monday's announced crowd of 12,473, on a miserable night with minimal walk-ups, probably gives us a good guess at the current season ticket base. Last year's worst crowd: 20,487. No wonder the Nats are still "undecided" if they'll announce their season ticket sales.

Nonetheless, the Nats' hopes for significant improvement this season remain real -- if, but only if, their young pitching brings stability, not chaos.

Zimmerman, who's just re-upped with this motley outfit, says: "This is where I want to be playing a long time. I started at ground zero with this organization, and I want to be here when we are in the playoff picture every year. I really think that's where we're going. . . . But first, we have to turn around this season."

The other Zimmermann should help.