Nationals game blog: Nats need Jordan Zimmermann to be the stopper

By Josh Land

Nationals

August 18, 2015, 4:18pm

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The Nationals limp into Denver after being booted out of L.A. and San Francisco on this disastrous 10-game road trip. The numbers are terrible: .179 team batting average over a six-game losing streak, which includes three shutouts, and starting pitchers unable to pitch out of the fifth inning in four of the six defeats.

Time to throw them all out of the window. With 45 games remaining and trailing the first place Mets by 4 1/2 games, these Nats must begin their turnaround tonight against the lowly Rockies.

Jordan Zimmermann is coming off arguably his best start of the year. The right-hander went toe to toe with Clayton Kershaw last Wednesday, yielding just one run on two hits with nine strikeouts over seven innings as the Nats fell 3-0.

Zimmermann struck out nine Rockies while allowing only one run over 6 2/3 innings on Aug. 7 in D.C.

Ian Desmond is one of the few Nats swinging a hot bat on this road trip. The 29-year-old is 8-for-24 (.333) with three homers and four RBIs out west.

In his last 26 games, Desmond is hitting .301 with a .369 on-base percentage and a .602 slugging percentage. He leads the Nationals with eight home runs and 17 RBIs since the All-Star break.

Nationals manager Matt Williams has slotted Jayson Werth in the leadoff spot tonight. Werth owns a .266 career average atop the batting order.