Until last night, all but one of the Nats starters had an ERA under 4.00. This was pretty impressive after a month of play, and the last 6+ years of play. Unfortunately, John Lannan faced his nemesis last night, the Philadelphia Phillies. His ERA jumped from 3.78 to 5.09 in the span of two innings, and he’ll be fighting for a while to bring it back down.

But the Nats have a chance to once again have 4 starters under 4.00, with Jordan Zimmermann going tonight. It won’t be easy, heck a bare minimum quality start puts you at a 4.50 ERA. But chances are better tonight that he’ll perform well because A)he’s pitching tonight and B)they’re playing the Marlins not the Phillies. In order to get his ERA under 4.00, he’d have to pitch very well against a strong club, but it’s certainly not impossible.

If he gives up 2 ER, he’ll have to go at least 7 2/3 IP. If he gives up 1 ER he’ll have to go at least 5 IP, and if he doesn’t give up any ER, he’ll have to only pitch 2 2/3 innings. He can’t do it in a regular length game if he gives up 3 or more ER, but he could do it if he went 9 2/3 IP.

It’s not likely that he’d do it, but it’s certainly possible that the team would only have 24 hours without 4 starters under a 4.00 ERA. Not that it matters at all. Is there any way Zimmermann could face that Nats lineup? That might help.

More Important Than That

I just wanted to publish a word of thanks to Gary Williams. He is basically all I know as the coach at Maryland, and before I went to that school I never paid any attention to college basketball. His teams are what made me a Terp zealot, and his contribution to the team cannot be understated. If not for him, I think they would have been an irrelevant basketball school throughout the 90s and early 2000s, and might only be getting their footing now. The fact that he is being praised for running a clean program is a poor reflection on the state of college sports today, but I am proud of how he ran that program. I was able to witness over a dozen NCAA tournament appearance, and I was able to watch my alma mater win the National Championship. I wish him the best, and Maryland is better off for having him coach.

By Charlie