"Last season, in games Ryan Zimmerman did not play, the Nationals went 9-11. That was actually better than their winning percentage with him on the field, which is an obvious and meaningless fluke. The Nationals are an awfully diminished team without Zimmerman at third base and in the middle of their lineup, and now they will have to play without him for at least three weeks, 20 some-odd games. Currently 4-5, the Nationals' objective now is to still be playing meaningful games when Zimmerman returns.

One obvious key will be the Nationals' starting rotation continuing to hold their own and defy the dire conventional wisdom that it would doom the rest of the team. For all nine games, the Nationals' starter has at least kept them competitive – the day they lost, 11-2, Jordan Zimmermann left with the score 3-1. As a group, the rotation has a 4.29 ERA, which ranks 17th in the National League. Given the strength of their bullpen, that's all the Nationals are really asking for.

As Jayson Werth moves to third in the lineup, and the narrative that emerges will probably focus on his newfound imperative drive in runs. Last season, for what it's worth, he absolutely carried the Phillies when Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard missed time with injuries. But what really determines how the Nationals' offfense fares without Zimmerman will hinge more on who bats ahead of Werth and how often they can get on-base.

Last season, Werth and Zimmerman tied for seventh in the National League with dueling .388 on-base percentages. Michael Morse had a .352 on-base percentage in 2010. Every other current Nationals regular had an on-base percentage lower than .324, the NL average, last year. Somehow, the Nationals are going to have make up for all the times Zimmerman gets on base at the top of the lineup. "