A tough way to say goodbye if that's it for Jordan Zimmermann

It couldn't have been the way Jordan Zimmermann wanted to go out - pitching in front of sparse crowd on the road in a meaningless late-season game with your teammates failing to score a run. In what is expected to be the swan song for Zimmermann, the winningest pitcher in Nationals history went out with a 2-0 loss.

The Braves plated two runs off Zimmermann on a pair of two-out RBI singles, one in the first and another in the second. However, Zimmermann didn't allow Atlanta many more opportunities, yielding six hits with one walk and one strikeout over six innings.

But the result was mostly irrelevant as this night was more about reflecting on Zimmermann's seven brilliant years in Washington.

"Right now at this moment, I'm just trying to enjoy it with my teammates. ... The last couple days, just enjoy it with them," Zimmermann told reporters. "I wish we would've got the win tonight, but that's the way baseball goes.

Zimmermann revealed that the idea of possibly not returning to Washington has been weighing on him down the stretch of a trying season.

"I've been thinking about it the last couple of games actually, about maybe not being around these guys anymore next year," Zimmermann told reporters. "Some of these guys have been around for seven years and I've had a great time."

Zimmermann is 70-50 with a 3.32 ERA over 177 starts since making his major league debut with the Nationals in April 2009. But his first big league season ended harshly with a torn UCL ligament forcing Tommy John surgery.

Zimmermann emerged from his rehab to make seven starts in 2010 and then 26 in 2011 while on an innings limit. Starting in 2012, Zimmermann began a streak of four consecutive seasons making at least 32 starts.

"When I first had Tommy John, I was a little shaken up and didn't know much about it," Zimmermann told reporters. "After reading some stuff and seeing all the guys that went through it and came back, I knew I'd be fine. My goal was when I came back to start being this elite pitcher that's gonna eat up innings, and then go out every five days and grab the ball and give the team a chance to win. That's what I've been doing the last few years."

Considered a bulldog in the Nats rotation, Zimmermann is seen as one the toughest competitors, one who relishes intense matchups.

"He's fierce on the mound," Nationals manager Matt Williams said to reporters. "That's a trait that's innate. They don't teach that. That's in his DNA. He's been reliable, durable and goes to the post every fifth day."

The Nationals were in last place when they made Zimmermann the 67th pick of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. Washington went on to lose more than 100 games in each of the next two seasons. Their 80-win resurgence in 2011 coincided with Zimmermann's first full year. The following season, Zimmermann helped the Nats to their first National League East crown. They won another in 2014, the second of Zimmermann's two All-Star seasons.

"When I first got drafted, we were at the bottom," Zimmermann said to reporters. "We had a few good drafts and got some great talent, and we rose to the top and made the playoffs a few times. I've enjoyed every day."

Zimmermann will be highly sought after this winter. Reporters asked him tonight if he thinks there is any chance he returns to the Nationals.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I can't really answer that. Every team is gonna have a shot. We'll see this offseason what happens and if they come calling."