Star rookie Jordan Zimmermann will likely be sidelined for a year and a half due to
elbow surgery. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Ay carumba — to think, we were all set for a tranquil evening on the sports front, with no local games on the schedule. We’re definitely sure, though, that this was not the kind of news that the Nationals were hoping for on their day off and after closing out two consecutive home sweeps: rookie pitcher Jordan Zimmermann has blown out his throwing elbow and will require a ligament-replacement procedure. That’s right, Tommy John surgery.

In looking for positives from the situation, all interim general manager Mike Rizzo could do was grasp at straws:

“The small bit of sunshine is that there is an 85 to 90 percent success rate with pitchers recovering to their pre-injury status after Tommy John surgery. It’s a much higher success rate than shoulder [labrum] surgery,” Rizzo added. “We’ve got a lot of depth in our young starting pitching, but Jordan was the prize pupil. We’ll have him back — full go — for spring training ’11, though he may pitch sometime in ’10. But you’ll see the real Zimmermann in ’11.”

Well, it’s a good thing he didn’t also blow out his shoulder, as well. So what happened? Elbow discomfort had led to a stint on the 15-day disabled list for the young righty. But when the pain continued after a rehab start at single-A Potomac, the Nationals sent an MRI to sports medicine magnate Dr. James Andrews, who confirmed that a ligament in Zimmermann’s elbow would need replacing.

No one believes that the young man won’t be back — it’s just what the team will do to eat up the innings which Zimmermann certainly would have provided next season. If anything, the loss of Zimmermann really puts a dent into the team’s so-far fruitless attempts to sign number one draft pick Steven Strasburg — whatever leverage the Nationals might have had (“we don’t need you, we’ve got Zimmermann!”) is out the window with this setback.

Sheesh, is this team ever going to catch a break?