Time for Nationals' starting rotation to deliver

Offseason dreams of a parade down Constitution Avenue began with the assembly of the Nationals' impressive starting rotation. While dominating at times, the Nats' starters haven't come close to living up to their historic billing.

Veteran right-hander Doug Fister, arguably the team's best pitcher last year, spent more than a month on the disabled list, never got his season on track and was eventually bounced to the bullpen after posting a 4.60 ERA in 15 starts.

Rookie Joe Ross, who replaced Fister in the rotation, stunned even the Nationals brass in his first seven starts after making his major league debut on June 6. But the 22-year-old right-hander has come back down to earth in his last two outings, failing to finish the fifth inning in either while yielding a combined nine runs and a 9.35 ERA.

Gio Gonzalez has been solid, especially over the last two months, but the left-hander continues to let command issues knock him out of games far too early, taxing the Nats' wildly inconsistent bullpen.

Stephen Strasburg was one of the game's enigmas through the first two months of the season. A 3-5 record accompanied an abominable 6.55 ERA before he was shelved for the first of two stints on the disabled list. The 26-year-old has made only five starts since June 23, going 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA.

Max Scherzer was the talk of baseball before the All-Star break. His starts were can't-miss TV. The former AL Cy Young Award winner took perfect games into the sixth inning in three consecutive starts, coming away with a one-hit shutout and his first career no-hitter.

Scherzer held opponents to a lowly .185 batting average while surrendering only 10 homers and walking just 14 with an ERA of 2.11 in his first 18 starts.

Over his last six outings since the Midsummer Classic, opposing teams have banged out eight homers while hitting .279 against the once dominant right-hander. He's walked nine and his ERA seems unfathomable at 5.18 over that span.

Jordan Zimmermann has shown periods of brilliance and, like Scherzer, has experienced slumps, too. Zimmerman went 1-2 with a 5.46 ERA over five outings from July 11 to Aug. 2. The right-hander has returned to form over his last two starts, allowing two runs over 13 2/3 innings with one walk and 15 strikeouts.

The Nationals are just 4-12 in August and their 5.23 team ERA is third-worst in the National League.

"In recent games, starting pitching for us hasn't been what they're accustomed to being," Nationals manager Matt Williams told reporters. "So we have to make sure we're focused on that."

Trailing the first place Mets by 4 1/2 games with 45 games remaining, the Nats turn to Zimmermann tonight in hopes of ending a six-game losing streak and jump-starting a sputtering team. Strasburg and Scherzer will follow Zimmermann to the mound for the next two games against the NL West cellar-dwelling Rockies.

The question remains if these three imposing right-handers can lead the Nationals back to the top as expected.