After missing nearly 50 games with an abdominal injury, Ryan Zimmerman showed no signs of rust in his first game back Tuesday night.
The Nationals’ star third baseman smacked a double down the right field line in his fourth at-bat, plating Jayson Werth and helping to ignite a six-run seventh inning that proved to be decisive in the Nats’ 8-6 victory over the Cardinals.
The hit cut St. Louis’ lead to 6-3. Zimmerman later came around to score the Nats’ fifth run of the game to cut the lead to one. Three more runs would follow.
This is certainly a welcomed sight for the Nats, who have sorely missed Zimmerman’s production in the middle of their lineup.
Nats manager Jim Riggleman had this to say to the Washington Post about the third baseman:
I thought he had some good swings, some good takes. . . . It’s been a while, it’s major league pitching, but just to come in and get comfortable, it’s big. I think as we go through, we’ll feel his impact in the lineup.