The Washington Nationals are attempting to be the second team in Major League history to start the season with three consecutive shutouts, according to MLB.com.
Already receiving stellar outings from Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, the up and coming team in D.C. will look for a strong outing from starting pitcher Jordan Zimmerman.
On the other side, the Miami Marlins will be working to not become the first team ever to be shutout three consecutive times to start a season.
The Nationals have already made a little history becoming the only the 13th team in the long history of the MLB to begin a season with two straight shutouts. The last team to accomplish such a feat was the 2002 Arizona Diamondbacks.
On a few other teams in the majors Zimmerman might be an ace, putting up a 2.94 earned run average, a 12-8 record and 153 strikeouts in 2012. But with a roster that includes pitching studs like Strasburg (15-6, 197 strikeouts, 3.16 ERA) and Gonzalez (21-8, 2.89 ERA, 207 strikeouts), he is the third pitcher in the rotation.
Zimmerman is not like his two counterparts in his style of pitching. While Gonzalez and Strasburg are strikeout pitchers, Zimmerman likes to pitch to contact allowing his fielders to record easy outs.
"He looks like he's easygoing, but there's fire in there," Nationals manager Davey Johnson said. "It comes out once in a while. He doesn't say a whole lot, but when he does, he's right on track. But he's come a long way, too. As a pitcher, the experience comes with learning how the hitters you're up against react to your stuff, and you get a comfort in that, with your pitch selection and your location."
First pitch against the Marlins is scheduled for 4:05 ET. Zimmerman will be facing Marlin starting pitcher Wade Leblanc.
