One Tell-All Stat for Every Washington Nationals Pitcher

As a group, the Washington Nationals' pitching staff has been incredible so far in 2012. They own a team ERA of 2.97 entering play on Tuesday night, a number that is by far the best in all of baseball.

While not every pitcher has been dominant, a majority of the contributors have been lights out. Some have struggled at times, but those pitchers are working through their struggles and trying to make more of a positive contribution as the season progresses.

The success of the pitching staff cannot be mentioned without giving credit to pitching coach Steve McCatty. He has been a huge reason why the Nationals' young pitchers are performing as well as we've seen.

Whether it be positive or negative, each pitcher has one tell-all statistic that essentially sums up their season up to this point.

I've chosen to include all pitchers that have appeared in a game for manager Davey Johnson, and each has statistics that are worth mentioning.

Stephen Strasburg

65 Innings Pitched

Stephen Strasburg is reportedly on a strict 160-innings limit, but that hasn't stopped Davey Johnson from using him as a full-time starting pitcher.

He's currently averaging nearly six innings per start so, at this rate, he'll have approximately 16 or 17 more starts before Washington shuts him down.

That puts him on schedule to be shut down sometime in late August or early September.

While his ERA, SO/9 and WHIP are also very impressive, the fact that he's already tossed 65 innings through 11 starts is worth noting.

Gio Gonzalez

84 Strikeouts in Just 66.1 Innings Pitched

Gio Gonzalez has been everything the Nationals could have asked for since coming over from the Oakland Athletics this offseason, and then some.

He has established himself as the true ace of this staff. His dominance has been well-noted throughout the National League, and his MLB-leading 84 strikeouts is proof of that dominance.

Simply put, hitters are having real difficulties putting the ball in play against Gonzalez.

The 84 strikeouts likely explains his .172 batting average against and sparkling WHIP of 1.03, so I'm going to consider that his most impressive statistic up to this point.

Jordan Zimmermann

80.4 Percent of Runners Left on Base

Jordan Zimmermann has had a solid season thus far for the Nationals, and much of that can be attributed to the fact that he simply doesn't let many runners score.

His 1.09 WHIP is very respectable, but the fact that he only allows 19.6 percent of those runners to score is fantastic.

Opposing batters hit .242 against him, and he doesn't walk or strikeout many guys, so the ball is almost always in play against him. This leads to seeing-eye singles and a decent amount of baserunners.

His ability to limit the damage is why his ERA is still below the 3.00 mark (2.80).

Edwin Jackson

Just One Win Through 10 Starts

It's truly amazing that Edwin Jackson has just one victory this season. He has pitched very well since signing as a free agent with the Nationals this offseason.

He currently boasts a strong 3.17 ERA to go along with 53 strikeouts through 65.1 innings. Opponents are hitting just .219 against him.

It's really just been a lack of run support for Jackson, as his other statistics show that he should be at least a four-game winner at this point in the season.

Chien-Ming Wang

Opponent Batting Average of .370

Sure, Chien-Ming Wang has pitched in just two games (one start) for the Nationals this season, but that doesn't hide the fact that hitters are feeling pretty comfortable in the box against him.

Opponents are hitting .370 against him, which has led to a bloated ERA of 6.43 through seven innings.

Both of those statistics will likely improve with time. That being said, Wang hasn't exactly been a staple of consistency over the past several seasons.

If he wants to remain in the rotation, he'll have to start getting some more outs.

Ross Detwiler

54 Percent Ground-Ball Rate

Ross Detwiler started the season in the Nationals' rotation, but has since been bumped by the return of Chien-Ming Wang.

Regardless of his role with the team, his 54 percent ground-ball rate is very impressive. While he only leaves 65.7 percent of runners on base, the fact that most of the hits he allows are on ground balls shows that he is still limiting the damage.

The high ground-ball rate helps him to keep his HR/9 rate at just 0.7, so it's clear that he knows how to keep the ball in the ballpark.

If Wang continues to struggle, look for Detwiler to be back in the rotation.

Mike Gonzalez

Career BB/9 of 4.1

Mike Gonzalez has pitched in just one game for the Nationals this season, so it's impossible to pick a tell-all statistic for him.

Instead, I chose to look at his career marks. One statistic that popped out was his career BB/9.

At 4.1, it's clear that Gonzalez puts far too many runners on base via the free pass. If he can limit the walks, he'll be an effective reliever in the future for manager Davey Johnson.

As the season progresses, definitely look out for the number of walks he issues.

Sean Burnett

0.54 ERA

It's simple, really—Sean Burnett has been the best member of the Nationals' bullpen so far this season.

He has been spectacular, allowing just one earned run in 16.2 innings.

He's more of a lefty specialist, but that doesn't change the fact that he has been a reliable pitcher for Davey Johnson.

He even got to try his hand at closing because of his dominance. It was a short-lived opportunity, but he was 2-for-2 in save opportunities.

Craig Stammen

0.98 WHIP

Craig Stammen ranks right behind Sean Burnett in the bullpen. He is currently the only pitcher on the team to have a WHIP below 1.00, while also leading the bullpen (aside from Detwiler) with 29.2 innings pitched.

Stammen has struck out 31 batters in those innings and owns a strong 1.52 ERA.

The fact that he doesn't allow many baserunners makes it easy for Davey Johnson to trust him in a setup role, a role in which he has performed admirably in 2012.

Ryan Mattheus

SO/BB Ratio of 1.86

Ryan Mattheus has pitched in 19 games for the Nationals this season, though he is currently on the disabled list with an injury.

Although his ERA is a respectable 2.25, the fact that he's walked seven men compared to 13 strikeouts is unacceptable.

He puts far too many runners on base, which is evidenced by his 1.30 WHIP.

He'll have to limit his free passes when he returns from the disabled list. 

Tyler Clippard

.171 Opponent Batting Average

Tyler Clippard has been a savior for the Nationals this season. He's closing because of the absence of Drew Storen and the inability to close of Henry Rodriguez, and he's converted four of five opportunities.

The most important statistic for Clippard is his .171 opponent's batting average, though.

He's allowed just 14 hits in 22.2 innings en route to an ERA of 2.78. While we'd like to see his ERA closer to 2.00, Clippard is working to emerge from a rough first month of the season.

Tom Gorzelanny

3.51 ERA

For a starting pitcher, a 3.51 ERA is respectable. For a reliever, not so much.

In no way is it horrible, but there's definitely plenty of room for improvement with Tom Gorzelanny. 

He's allowed 10 runs in 25.2 innings as a long reliever of sorts for the Nationals, even though the starting rotation hasn't given Davey Johnson many opportunities to use a long reliever.

Gorzelanny owns a WHIP of 1.29, so his ERA will likely improve as he puts less people on base.

Henry Rodriguez

Tie: 3 Blown Saves and 4.95 ERA

Henry Rodriguez's statistics are a bit deceiving. He's saved a team-high nine games for the Nationals, but he's also blown three other opportunities.

His 1-3 record shows that the Nationals didn't even win the opportunities he blew.

Rodriguez also owns a fantastic .171 batting average against, but his 14 bases on balls has bumped his WHIP up to 1.30.

Those statistics explain his astronomically high 4.95 ERA.

Rodriguez has been bumped from the closer's role and has a much less important role in the bullpen. His 100-mph heater makes him an intriguing pitcher, but his inability to hit his spots makes him a liability at the back end of the bullpen.

Brad Lidge

Two Blown Saves

The Nationals have had issues closing games with Drew Storen on the shelf, and Brad Lidge was no exception before getting hurt.

He has appeared in just seven games this season, four of which were save opportunities. He only saved half of those attempts.

As a result, his ERA sits at a lofty 5.14 and his WHIP sits at an equally lofty 2.00.

By the time he returns, Storen will likely be on his way back as well. Lidge probably won't be closing many more games with the Nationals this season.

Ryan Perry

10.13 ERA

Ryan Perry hasn't been very effective through seven games this season.

Over the course of eight innings, he has allowed nine runs on 12 hits and two walks. That equals an incredibly high 10.13 ERA for Perry.

He has since been sent down to work on his game.

Perry had problems keeping his ERA low last season in Detroit—it was 5.35—so we'll have to keep an eye on Perry next time he pitches with the big club.