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Ah, yes. The rectus abdominis muscle. Always a favorite of mine.
Ryan Zimmerman's surgery this week on that particular part of his anatomy will take place in Philadelphia. I wouldn't worry about some fanatic Phillies fan showing up in scrubs that day in the ER; the surgeon who will perform the procedure is considered the best of that ilk, so Ryan will be in capable hands.
The rectus abdominis muscle, according to the old medical dictionary, is a postural muscle. It assists with breathing, and in keeping the internal organs in their place. Sounds like a keeper to me, and inasmuch as it's also responsible for flexing the lumbar spine, you can understand how he wouldn't be able to play with a torn one.
With Zimmerman out a good six-to-eight weeks, maybe a shade longer, it's going to make the Nationals have to work even harder to get their offense in gear. I expect Michael Morse will start taking some ground balls at third base - he came up to the bigs as a shortstop, after all - and you can't rule out some other kind of roster move, though I doubt a trade is in in the offing for a veteran third baseman.
I still think it's amazing they've played .500 baseball - splitting 18 games - without No. 11 at third base. The starting pitching has been remarkable, maybe the most underrated rotation in the big leagues. Asking for that to continue on a daily basis may be too much, but you look for positives wherever you can find them.
The best laid plans frequently go awry, and when you lose your franchise player for essentially half the season, there's little in the way of a guaranteed Plan B. You just have to hang in there and hope for the best.
Whining never solves anything.
