For the third straight season the Nationals have turned to Stephen Strasburg as their Opening Day starter, choosing him over Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann.
“He’s earned it,” rookie manager Matt Williams told Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com, noting that he also gave serious consideration to Zimmermann.
Last season Strasburg threw 183 innings with a 3.00 ERA and 191/56 K/BB ratio, while Zimmermann--who will start Game 3 of the season after Gonzalez takes the mound in Game 2--threw 213 innings with a 3.25 ERA and 161/40 K/BB ratio.
Ultimately the order of a rotation matters little and the Nationals have perhaps the best collection of front-line starting pitching in the league, especially if Doug Fister gets healthy soon and joins the mix as the No. 4 starter.
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