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Another season, another trip to the disabled list for third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.

Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson announced that Zimmerman would be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring issue, and that top prospect Anthony Rendon will be called up from Double-A to play third base in his place (via the Washington Times).

Zimmerman attempted to play through the nagging hamstring. The first signs of injury were reported on Monday, though he tried to play on Wednesday after taking a day off. He left halfway through that game and then proceeded to miss Friday and Saturday’s games. The MRI he received Saturday morning must have thrown up red flags for the team’s doctors.

The move to call up Rendon in his place is an interesting one. The Nationals will likely only need the No. 6 pick of the 2011 draft for two weeks, after which he’ll be sent back down. Washington does not have room on the roster for him once Zimmerman returns.

Johnson must be under the impression that two weeks of Rendon will be better than two weeks of Chad Tracy offensively and at the hot corner, and he might be right.

Rendon is a Gold Glove caliber third baseman, and will arguably be the top defensive player on the team while he’s up in the bigs. Offensively, he’s off to a great start in the minors.

He’s batting .292/.462/.500 with two home runs, seven RBI, four doubles, eight runs scored and 14 walks. His patience is impressive, as his consistent ability to hit the ball hard. Rendon is not much of a power threat, but his solid stroke and line drive approach make him a threat to hit the ball well every swing.

Tracy, on the other hand, has done poorly in 19 at-bats mostly off the bench. He’s hitting just .158/.200/.158 with an RBI and just three hits.

Seeing two weeks of Rendon early in the season will be a great way for general manager Mike Rizzo and the rest of the team’s higher ups to not only get a look at a future star, but to assess whether or not he’ll be the heir apparent to Zimmerman at third base.

With his constant injuries and poor throwing this season—he has eight errors, though they could be tied to his hamstring—a move to first base may be in his future.

If Rendon proves that he can make the jump from Double-A to the bigs, then he could be expediting the inevitable.

Zimmerman wasn’t hitting all that well early on, so taking a risk on Rendon is not a bad idea at all. He’s not the same type of top prospect that Bryce Harper was, but this kid is talented and will look to make an impression on the team with his first opportunity to start.

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As the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves set to go head-to-head this Saturday, one question remains on everyone’s mind: Who is the better team in the National League East?

The Braves are off to a blistering start with a 9-1 record, and not only are their bats on fire, but their entire pitching staff (with the exception of Julio Teheran and Christian Martinez) is pitching like they already have October in their sights.

However, the 7-3 Nationals may just be the better team. Led by phenoms Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, the Nats have one of the most complete teams on paper. Not only is their lineup stacked with talented bats, but they arguably have the most dominant pitching staffs in all of baseball.

So who will prevail as the season goes on?

This weekend’s games should offer a lot of insight as to how these two teams will fare against each other. I think the most interesting thing will be seeing whose bats perform better against each team’s pitching staffs.

If I were to pick a clear-cut winner now, I think I would have to go with the Nationals. 

Harper is arguably hitting better than anyone in baseball right now, Denard Span is looking great at the top of the lineup and even Ian Desmond and Jason Werth are starting to heat up and look good. And though Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche aren’t off to blazing start as of yet, both guys are way too talented to not rebound and start regularly contributing sooner than later. 

So who will win the National League East this year?

It’s way too early to start speculating this early in the season, but one thing is for sure: there’s going to be a lot of exciting games between these two teams as the season goes on.

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After six weeks of preparation, the Washington Nationals will play their first game of the regular season on Monday afternoon. Spring training is officially in the books after their final tune-up against the New York Yankees on Friday afternoon.

After a long, grueling spring which welcomed new faces such as new starting center fielder Denard Span, the Nationals will be able to reflect on their successes and failures of the spring in hopes to come together for a championship run.

Let’s take a look at the spring training stats of all of the Nationals’ starters in their lineup spots as projected by CBSSports.com.

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Stephen Strasburg dominated hitters for five months in 2012. If he has his way, he’ll have a chance to do it for six or seven months in 2013. Despite overwhelming disdain for how the Washington Nationals handled Strasburg’s workload during the pennant race last season, there is precedent to limit his innings again this season.

A case can be made that Strasburg is the best inning-by-inning starting pitcher in the big leagues right now. At the age of 24, the Nationals have one of the most desirable commodities in professional sports: a young, cost-controlled ace. Knowing that, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo devised a plan to keep Strasburg healthy on the path back from Tommy John surgery. An NL East crown and playoff appearance in 2012 didn’t change the organizational philosophy.

Some agreed, but most didn’t.

Strasburg was vocal about his displeasure last September, looked sullen on the bench during the postseason and has let it be known that he wants the reigns off completely this year. In theory, he should be a major part of the decision making process in Washington. Not only is Strasburg dominant; he knows what his body can and can’t handle at this juncture—years removed from the actual elbow procedure.

On the other hand, Strasburg was allowed to throw over 100 more innings in 2012 than he did during an abbreviated 2011 season on his path back from surgery. While comparing and contrasting 24-year-old starters with Tommy John patients can be a fruitless endeavor, the idea of Strasburg piling on too many innings this season is a legitimate issue, especially if Washington plays deep into the postseason.

The Verducci Effect has become a hot topic of baseball discussion over the years. In short, Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci labels any 25-and-under pitcher who increased his innings by 30 or more to be at an increased risk from injury. Even if you disregard how diligently Washington handled his innings and the shut down last year, Strasburg still easily falls into that category.

If the kid gloves come off in 2013, he will be on the list again next year. Consider this: Matt Cain and Justin Verlander, the respective aces of the 2012 World Series participants, threw around 29 innings each in the postseason last October. If the World Series had gone the distance, those numbers would have been in the mid-30’s.

Allowing Strasburg to be a “workhorse” and achieve the lauded 200-inning plateau seems more than reasonable for a pitcher who has shown zero signs of discomfort or setbacks since Tommy John surgery. Yet, Washington is the NL East favorite for a reason. They are loaded, poised for a big regular season, and with Strasburg leading the staff, a run through October.

200 innings in the regular season is a goal; 30 more in October is a must. If Strasburg is allowed to take on a 230+ IP season in 2013, he’ll have pitched 70+ more innings in 2013 than he did last year. Due to his stature as one of baseball’s brightest stars, his prowess coming out of San Diego State, and the Nationals’ rise to league superpower, it’s easy to forget how young Strasburg still is.

While skipping starts or shutting Strasburg down again aren’t realistic notions, limiting his innings is. If Washington fully intends on playing deep into October and keeping Strasburg healthy long-term, care might still be necessary.

As Adam Kilgore pointed out in the Washington Post, Strasburg was only allowed to throw at least 105 pitches in five of 28 starts last season. Limiting pitches was a way to limit innings, and thus save Strasburg starts for the 2012 Nationals.

“I’m not trying to get out there and get used to throwing 90, 94 pitches,” Strasburg told the Washington Post. “You look at some of the top pitchers in the game, they go at least 110 every time out. I’m going to be prepared for it. I’m not saying that they’re going to let me do it. But I’m going to be physically ready for it.

He may be ready for it, but that doesn’t mean it has to happen.

Limiting pitches should be in vogue again for Davey Johnson and Mike Rizzo. Only this time, they’ll be saving those pitches and innings for October.

Joe Giglio is a MLB Lead Writer covering the NL and AL East. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports.

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At the conclusion of the 2011 season, the Washington Nationals boasted one of the top farm systems in the game. Since then, however, they’ve traded away a majority of their highly regarded prospects for big league talent—which paid immediate dividends.

Prior to the 2012 season, their trade with the A’s for Gio Gonzalez severely depleted their system, as they parted with catcher Derek Norris, as well as pitchers Tommy Milone, Brad Peacock and A.J. Cole. Well, they basically lent the A’s Cole for a season, as he was traded back to the Nats this offseason as part of a three-team trade for Michael Morse. 

The Nats also traded their top pitching prospect this offseason, 6’9” right-hander Alex Meyer, to the Twins in exchange for a much-needed leadoff hitter in Denard Span.

Their farm system took a major hit with the graduation of Bryce Harper to the major leagues last season, which was expected given the phenom’s ceiling of a once-in-a-generation player.

While they still house several top-100 prospects in Anthony Rendon, Brian Goodwin, Lucas Giolito and A.J. Cole, the Nats’ system is a shell of what it was a few years ago. However, with a big league roster that’s absolutely loaded with talent, does it really matter?

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The Washington Nationals and Gio Gonzalez could not have received any better news the day before Grapefruit League play began, as Gio Gonzalez addressed the media with fantastic results.

Amanda Comak of The Washington Times tweeted on Friday afternoon:

Bill Ladson of MLB.com reported the statement Gonzalez made on Friday:

Like I said before, I’ve never taken performance enhancing drugs and I never will. Two days after the story broke, I was tested for blood and urine. Both came out negative like I expected. Throughout my entire career, it has been like that. I look forward to handling this with MLB and putting this behind me, and I’m looking forward to the season.

Gonzalez did not take any questions after addressing the media on Friday afternoon.

Gonzalez’s tests were conducted two days after the reports about his involvement initially surfaced. Gonzalez claimed innocence from day one of the initial reports and stated that he had not been involved with the Miami-based clinic. 

Gonzalez finished his first season in Washington with a 21-8 record while compiling a 2.89 ERA with 207 strikeouts. He figures to be an intricate part of the pitching arsenal in D.C., which will be spearheaded by Stephen Strasburg.

With this incident failing to derail the Nats and the first spring training game being played Saturday, it is all about baseball—hopefully until the end of October.

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Two outs with a one-run lead in the top of the ninth inning of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals, Drew Storen needed just one more to secure the Washington Nationals‘ first postseason series win in franchise history.

Then he walked Yadier Molina.

David Freese followed Molina with a walk of his own.

Then, Daniel Descalso ripped a single off of Ian Desmond’s glove and into center field to score Molina from second.

Following Descalso, rookie shortstop Pete Kozma singled to right field to bring home the go-ahead run.

After leading the game 6-0, the Nationals lost the contest 9-7 and were eliminated from World Series contention.

It was Storen‘s third game in as many days, only the second time he had done so since being activated off the disabled list on July 19. Many just blamed fatigue for his poor performance. Others blamed inexperience.

For months now, fans and analysts alike have been satisfied with either of the two aforementioned theories. Now, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has given us the truth.

It turns out that Storen experienced “terrible” back pain for the final three days of the NLDS, even receiving treatment for back spasms in the trainer’s room each of those days.

Heyman reports that others familiar with the situation described Storen‘s pain as “unbearable.”

Whether or not it actually had an effect on his pitching remains unknown, as Storen really doesn’t like to open up about the issue.

It does speak to his go-get-it attitude, however, and teammate Jayson Werth had nothing but nice things to say about the closer-turned-setup-man (via Heyman).

He was having real bad back spasms. That was the third day (pitching) in a row. He was banged up, man. No one knew. For him to just have the balls to go out there, that says a lot about him.

Storen enters the 2013 season no longer secured with the ninth inning job. The Rafael Soriano signing, one that many opined to be because of Storen‘s meltdown, gives the Nationals a veteran presence at closer.

We may not be able to attribute that acquisition to Storen‘s blown save anymore, especially with this new information out there.

So, make of it what you will. The Nationals were eliminated regardless, but I find it interesting that manager Davey Johnson would go to a guy experiencing that much pain in the biggest situation of his young career.

Hopefully there are bigger things ahead for the Nationals, and all signs point to that being just the case.

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With Michael Bourn signing with Cleveland, starting pitcher Kyle Lohse is now the biggest name on the free-agent market.

St. Louis almost certainly won’t re-sign Lohse, who turned down the club’s $13.3 million qualifying offer this offseason. Lohse is seeking to cash in on a mega deal that the Cardinals couldn’t afford to give.

Lohse has been linked to the Washington Nationals, a perfect fit for the 34-year-old right-hander. 

The Nationals already invested a one-year, $13 million contract with veteran hurler Dan Haren and could pursue Lohse’s services, especially with the news of Gio Gonzalez possibly serving a hefty suspension for his reported involvement to the Biogenesis Clinic in Miami. 

With Gonzalez waiting it out, the probability of Washington reaching out to Lohse is high, and the move makes perfect sense.

The Nationals are in need of another reliable arm in their rotation that already features Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Ross Detwiler and Haren.

Lohse is coming off a season that saw him rack up a record of 16-3 with a 2.86 ERA in 33 starts for the Cardinals. He also had the sixth-best WHIP in baseball, at 1.09.

According to The Washington Post, another key to this potential pairing is Lohse’s agent, Scott Boras, with whom the Nationals have a solid relationship.

What’s forced teams to turn away from Lohse is the compensation the Cardinals would receive.

Due to the rules in the new draft-pick compensation agreement, the Cardinals would receive a compensatory draft pick if another team were to sign him.

Lohse symbolizes the skill set of a sturdy pitcher, relying on his sinking fastball for ultimate command and precise placement of his pitches. Lohse averaged 14.82 pitches per inning last season with the Cardinals, eighth-best in all of baseball. Additionally, over 40 percent of Lohse’s pitches in 2012 were ground balls, compared to 35.6 percent of his pitches being hit in the air.

Sure, Lohse would be a costly addition for Washington, especially with Bourn off the market, but the Nationals need effective starting pitching.

Lohse could certainly fill a potential void left by Gonzalez if he has to serve a suspension and could rack up a decent amount of wins in the process. 

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After an early exit from the playoffs last season, the Washington Nationals won’t have an easy road back this year, with a number of teams in the MLB poised for a trip to the World Series.

Arguably the best team in the regular season in 2012, the Nationals are ready to make a deep push into the playoffs, but several other teams have that same goal.

While Washingotn has made a number of solid moves in the offseason, including the signings of outfielder Denard Span and reliever Rafael Soriano, other teams have made equally impressive moves.

These include teams in both the National League and American League, so if the Nationals are able to go where they’ve never gone before, they’re opponent will likely be just as tough as the St. Louis Cardinals were in the National League Division Series.

These are the teams who pose the greatest threat to the Nationals on their quest to a World Series championship in 2013.

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This series will evaluate one team per day, starting on January 23, 2013 and ending on February 22, 2013 (the first game of spring training). It is based on last season’s performance, offseason changes since and the author’s outlook for the team in 2013. Please keep in mind that rosters can, and will, change before Opening Day. We started in the AL East and now go to the NL side, starting in the East and going in alphabetical order. Next up, the Washington Nationals.

2012 finish: 98-64 (1st place, NL East; Best record in MLB, lost NLDS 3-2 to St. Louis Cardinals)

Notable additions

LHP Bill Bray, RHP A.J. Cole, RHP Rafael Soriano, RHP Ross Ohlendorf, RHP Dan Haren, OF Denard Span

Notable losses

LHP Sean Burnett, LHP Tom Gorzelanny, LHP Michael Gonzalez, LHP John Lannan, RHP Chien-Ming Wang, RHP Edwin Jackson, OF Mark DeRosa, OF Michael Morse, C Jesus Flores

Why they will improve this year

The 98-win Nationals improving is a scary thought. It’s also a very legitimate possibility. The Nats sacrificed a first-round draft pick to solidify the end of their bullpen with Soriano, took a high reward flier on Haren, upgraded the outfield with Span and snatched back a top prospect who they originally drafted.

And other than the powerful bat of Morse and above-average lefty arm in Burnett, the Nationals aren’t really crying over anyone that moved on this winter. Long story short, the Nationals improved upon the fourth-best offense (by average) and the third-best bullpen (by ERA) in the National League from 2012.

They brought back Adam LaRoche to play first base, ensuring some left-handed pop in the heart of the order. I’m a big believer in Haren having a bounce-back year on his return to the relatively pitcher-friendly NL. But even if he doesn’t pan out, Washington’s presumably getting a full season out of Stephen Strasburg.

With a filthy rotation, strong bullpen and improved offense, the Nats could make a real run at surpassing 100 wins in 2013, even with tough competition in their own division from Atlanta. Harper will get another year in the bigs, but the guys I’m looking forward to watching grow are the double play combo of Ian Desmond at shortstop and Danny Espinosa at second base.

It’s always difficult to improve on a season in which you get close to the century mark in wins, but if anyone is going to do it next year, it’s the Nationals. 

Why they will regress this year

Even though the Nats made vast improvements this offseason, it’s almost unreasonable to expect a 98-win juggernaut to get even better. And for everything the front office did right this winter, another thing has gone wrong. Let’s start with the pitching, which was their heart and soul in 2012.

By now, everyone has heard the news of another PED scandal brewing in South Florida. Included in the list of names is last year’s ace Gio Gonzalez. While nothing has been proven yet, and Gonzalez took to Twitter immediately after the report to deny any involvement, it’s hard to practice “innocent until proven guilty” these days.

When Gonzalez is included on a list with proven PED users like Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon, even the most optimistic fan must realize that a suspension and fallout could be around the corner. I worship Gonzalez as a fan, but if he does get busted for this, it will really rock the foundation that the Nationals are built on.

On a less depressing note, the only other way I see the Nationals faltering in 2013 is if the injury bug bites hard, or young players like Harper fail to improve in their second full seasons (we saw the sophomore slump with Jason Heyward in 2011 and Eric Hosmer in 2012). Haren, Jayson Werth, and Ryan Zimmerman all have long injury histories, so keeping them healthy will have to be a priority. Otherwise, Washington may be in trouble.

The outlook for 2013

Even with the potential Gonzalez drama, I’m a big believer in the Nationals this year. If Gonzalez misses 50 games, I don’t expect the Nats to replace that kind of production in the rotation. But, they can at least plug the hole a bit by moving a guy like Cole to the bullpen and bumping a reliever to the rotation. A rotation of Strasburg, Jordan Zimermann, Haren, Ross Detwiler and a fifth is still pretty solid.

What I’m most excited about are the offseason additions the Nationals brought in to bolster the lineup and the bullpen. Re-signing LaRoche was a huge deal, considering he was the primary source of left-handed power in that lineup.

I think Span and Soriano will fit in perfectly and really take off in D.C., and I have no problem saying that Harper, Espinosa, Desmond and Detwiler will continue to improve. I like the depth the Nationals have, as well as the good balance of power, speed, defense and pitching.

This really is a team I think will eclipse the 100-win mark, even if Gonzalez does miss 10 starts. With him back, 105 is a possibility. You may call me too optimistic, but when taking into account the improvements made to an already terrifying team, it’s well within the realm of possibility.

It’s the opinion of this writer that the Nationals hit triple digits in the win column and fend off a feisty Braves team to repeat as NL East champions.

Potential changes before Opening Day

As previously mentioned, Gonzalez could face a suspension if he is charged with using PEDs. In that instance, the Nationals would probably at least pursue the option of adding another pitcher. It could be Javier Vasquez, who has apparently been blowing up the winter leagues.

But if GM Mike Rizzo wants to go with another southpaw, they are short on options. Other than promoting from within the organization, the Nats might have to use now-blocked first base prospect Chris Marrero as trade bait to land a back-of-the-rotation lefty starter.

Biggest surprise: Dan Haren

Biggest disappointment: Jayson Werth

Bold prediction: 20-year-old Harper hits 30 home runs in his second full season

Projected lineup

1. Denard Span, CF

2. Bryce Harper, LF

3. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B

4. Adam LaRoche, 1B

5. Jayson Werth, RF

6. Ian Desmond, SS

7. Danny Espinosa, 2B

8. Kurt Suzuki, C

Projected rotation

1. Gio Gonzalez, LHP

2. Stephen Strasburg, RHP

3. Jordan Zimermann, RHP

4. Ross Detwiler, LHP

5. Dan Haren, RHP

Projected finish: 100-62, 1st place

For other preseason evaluations:

AL East

Baltimore Orioles

Boston Red Sox

New York Yankees

Tampa Bay Rays

Toronto Blue Jays

NL East

Atlanta Braves

Miami Marlins

New York Mets

Philadelphia Phillies

You can follow Jeremy on Twitter @Jamblinman.

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