Jordan Zimmerman Ends Great April with 5-0 Record

The Washington Nationals are off to a fine start this season, closing out April with a 16-7 record and first place in the N.L. East. That being said, imagine what they would be like if they hadn’t let right handed starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann go as a free agent.

Zimmermann signed a five year $110 million deal with the Detroit Tigers in the off season, and he earned his money in his first month with his new team. On April 30th, Zimmermann was the winning pitcher in the Tigers’ 4-1 win over the Minnesota Twins. Zimmermann allowed six hits and one run– a home run by Byung Ho Park– struck out seven and walked none in notching his fifth victory of the season against no losses. HIs ERA is a microscopic 0.55, and it actually when up by allowing an earned run in seven innings pitched.

Zimmermann has quietly become one of the better starters in the majors the last few years. His career record is 75-50 with a 3.23 ERA. He is an excellent control pitcher, averaging just 1.8 walks per nine innings. His best season to date was 2013, when he was 19-9 with a 3.25 ERA, which he followed with a 14-5, 2.66 season in 2014. Last season was a relatively off year, but his off year of 13-10 with a 3.66 ERA was still better than a lot of fourth or fifth starters’ records.

With the victory, the Tigers kept pace with the A.L. Central leading White Sox, trailing Chicago by three games.