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NLDS: Ryan Zimmerman not starting Game 3 for Nationals

By Hayden Kane

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ryan Zimmerman remains out of the starting lineup for the Washington Nationals as they prepare for Game 3 of the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants. 

The Washington Nationals will take the field Monday with hopes of avoiding a sweep against the San Francisco Giants and salvaging their season. They will face off against left-handed ace Madison Bumgarner.

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Some people wondered if that match-up might motivate the Nationals to mix things up in their left-handed heavy lineup. Specifically, there was speculation that veteran righty Ryan Zimmerman might crack the starting lineup in place of Denard Span, Adam LaRoche, or even Bryce Harper.

Manager Matt Williams has decided against such a move, rolling with the same starting lineup that he used in the first two games of this series.

Zimmerman hits well against right-handed and left-handed pitching, posting a .288/.356/.423 line against lefties. The more important split would be Bumgarner’s however, as he has eaten left-handed hitters alive in 2014, holding them to a .539 OPS this season.

The numbers are not in Williams’ favor here. Granted, these decisions come down to more than numbers, often accounting for factors of which we have no knowledge on the outside looking in. Williams might get this call right for those reasons, but it seems unlikely given the quality of Bumgarner’s stuff and his side-winding motion that has to be miserable for lefties to deal with.

For a team that has struggled offensively like the Nationals have, it seems like Williams ought to be more open to mixing things up and trying to gain an advantage. And it’s not as if he would be running an obscure right-handed hitter out there: Zimmerman is a proven veteran, a former All-Star, and arguably the face of the franchise.

The issue might have to do with where Zimmerman would play in the field, but considering the fact that two of the lefties in question play the outfield, it seems that Zimmerman could have slotted into left field nicely. Williams could even lift him for a defensive sub in the later innings of the game.

Game 3 hasn’t even started, and already Williams has made another decision worthy of discussion.

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