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Even as Ryan Zimmerman is back in the Nationals' lineup, swinging the bat well in his first few games after abdominal surgery, he's trying to get the hang of new throwing mechanics that have him firing from a more flexed arm position than he's ever used in his career. And while Zimmerman has caused the Nationals a few nervous moments with his throws in his first five games back, he hadn't committed an error until today.
He fired high to first base on what should have been an easy grounder from Nolan Reimold, and the error allowed Derrek Lee to go to third. Then, Zimmerman charged a Mark Reynolds grounder, again having what should have been a fairly routine play, and pumped toward first before deciding to eat the throw. Lee scored later in the inning, and after J.J. Hardy just homered off Tom Gorzelanny, it's 2-0 Orioles.
It isn't like Zimmerman to be gun-shy with his throws, and it's clear that his new mechanics aren't comfortable to him yet. He was just taking a few grounders before the start of the third inning, and he took a couple tentative steps before each throw, which didn't have much zip on them. This is definitely something to keep an eye on in the next several weeks, and I'l have more on it as it develops.
