Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman responded to the critics Tuesday night when he belted two home runs, raising his batting average to a whopping .235 and his season home run total to three. His pedestrian .288 on-base percentage is over 100 points below second baseman Daniel Murphy's batting average, and while that is in part due to a hot start from Washington's new acquisition, Zimmerman isn't exactly setting the world on fire.
Zimmerman's struggles have been brought to the national forefront as of late because of the way the Cubs handled his teammate Bryce Harper in Chicago's four-game sweep over the weekend. Hitting third, Harper drew a league record 13 walks in the series, reaching base seven times in Sunday's finale without recording a single at-bat. Manager Joe Maddon made the North Siders' strategy clear: Make Ryan Zimmerman step up.
Step up Zimmerman did not, managing just two hits in 19 at-bats, thus proving Chicago's strategy effective. Twice in Sunday's series finale, Harper was walked to load the bases with two outs, and Zimmerman ended the inning both times. The Cubs were so dead-set on limiting Harper's impact, I wouldn't be surprised if they gave the young star the Barry Bonds treatment and walked him with the bases loaded, allowing one run to score while having confidence in their excellent pitching staff to retire the Nationals' star of yesteryear.
Despite heavy criticism, Washington manager Dusty Baker decided not to tweak the middle of his lineup in the first two games of the team's series against Detroit, keeping Murphy, who leads the club with a .398 batting average this season, hitting fifth behind Zimmerman. Baker finally made the sensible decision of switching Murphy and Zimmerman for Wednesday's game, though making it clear that he wasn't committing to this decision for the long term.
Baker clearly understands what numerous columnists have been pointing out for days: Zimmerman isn't offering any protection for the National League's best hitter, which minimizes Harper's influence. The 2009 All-Star has three hits in 28 at-bats after a Harper free pass this season, and this move from Baker shows that he isn't putting too much weight in the fact that his struggling former star ran into a pair of pitches Tuesday night.
Now 31 years old, Zimmerman hasn't played 100 games in a season since 2013, which was also the last time he hit more than 16 homers. A 2-for-5 night where Zimmerman happens to hit two round-trippers is clearly the exception, not the rule. While the middle of Baker's lineup now features back-to-back lefties, Murphy's presence forces Washington's opponents to think twice about pitching around Harper, which will ultimately lead to more wins for the Nationals. Dusty, I commend you for responding to the outcry of fans and reporters and making the best move for your team. It's not 2009 anymore, which means Ryan Zimmerman does not belong in the cleanup spot.