MLB
Is the Washington Nationals Rotation the Best in Baseball?
Jordan Zimmermann's no-hitter on Sunday capped off an incredible regular season run by the Nats' starting five.

Heading into Game 162 on Sunday, the Nationals had already wrapped everything up. They had won the NL East, clinched the best record in the National League, and assured themselves of home field advantage throughout the NL playoffs.

So when starter @StevenSouzaJR's catch. http://t.co/y1CJxwoveU

— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) September 28, 2014

Zimmermann gave up just one walk yesterday and struck out 10 Florida Marlins, facing the minimum 27 batters. According to Bill James' Game Score metric, it was the fourth-best game pitched in 2014.

PlayerTeamDateGameScoreIPHSOBB
Clayton KershawDodgers6/18/201410290150
Madison BumgarnerGiants8/26/20149891130
Jake ArrietaCubs9/16/20149791131
Jordan ZimmermannNationals9/28/20149690101
Josh TomlinIndians6/28/20149691110
Jordan ZimmermannNationals6/8/20149592120

To calculate Game Score, you start with 50 points, then add one point for each out recorded, two points for each inning completed after the fourth, and one point for each strikeout. You then subtract two points for each hit allowed, four points for each earned run, two points for each unearned run and one point for each walk.

nERD of 1.79 (meaning he would give up 1.79 runs a game less than a league average pitcher over a 27-out game). His teammate Stephen Strasburg has been even better, with a nERD of 2.07, sixth-best among all MLB pitchers. Doug Fister's 1.36 nERD, Gio Gonzalez' 1.57 and Tanner Roark's 1.72 are all terrific numbers for starting pitchers.

But it was Zimmermann's incredible no-no on Sunday that underscored the amazing roll the Washington starting rotation has been on this month.

TeamWLERAFIPxFIPfWAR
Nationals1852.252.803.374.2
Cardinals1052.543.343.552.3
Pirates1442.602.933.333.1
Dodgers1153.693.233.092.6
Giants6114.454.013.700.5

In September, Washington's 2.25 ERA and 2.80 Fielding Independent Pitching were the best of the five National League playoff teams. And here are their numbers over the last 14 days.

TeamWLERAFIPxFIPfWAR
Nationals1111.762.143.053.1
Pirates711.972.613.182.1
Cardinals322.123.263.331.3
Dodgers424.923.483.251
Giants174.174.064.070.2

Nationals starters have won their last 12 decisions, and over their last 24 innings, the team's projected 1-2-3 starters in the NLDS (Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister) have given up no runs on five hits with two walks and 26 strikeouts.

That'll get it done.

Some of their individual numbers since the calendar flipped to September are amazing.

NameWLGSK/9BB/9ERAFIP
Stephen Strasburg3159.000.841.131.91
Jordan Zimmermann4059.001.061.322.43
Gio Gonzalez4158.541.382.482.18
Tanner Roark3144.910.702.453.29
Doug Fister4154.812.141.874.11

As are their numbers over the last 14 days.

NameWLGSK/9BB/9ERAFIP
Stephen Strasburg3038.551.350.001.68
Jordan Zimmermann2028.400.600.601.47
Gio Gonzalez20210.931.291.291.13
Tanner Roark2023.3801.352.38
Doug Fister2025.741.151.153.26

Despite Zimmermann's outstanding effort on Sunday, Strasburg has been the team's best pitcher over the last month and will likely be the Game 1 starter in the NLDS. But no Nats starter has an ERA over 1.35 in the last two weeks, and that belongs to Roark, who will likely be relegated to the bullpen. Gonzalez, he of the 1.29 ERA over the last 14 days, will probably not get a start until the National League Championship Series, if the team makes it that far.

It's clear the Nationals head into the playoffs with the best rotation in the National League, a very good thing to have in a short series where anything can happen.

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