Jordan Zimmermann promoted to Harrisburg

WOODBRIDGE, Va. -- The Potomac Nationals announced today that pitcher Jordan Zimmermann has been promoted to Double-A Harrisburg. Additionally, outfielder Francisco Plasencia has been promoted from Class A Hagerstown to Potomac.

Zimmermann has excelled with Potomac this season in just his second year of professional baseball, going 3-1 with a 1.65 ERA. The Auburndale, Wisc., native pitched perhaps his best game for the P-Nats in his last start against Winston-Salem, April 30, throwing seven shutout innings and allowing only one hit. Dating back to 2007, Zimmermann has allowed just one earned run over 52 2/3 innings while pitching at his home parks. The impressive mark spans 11 appearances at both Pfitzner Stadium and Centennial Field in Vermont.

Zimmermann, Washington's second-round selection in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, began his career with Class A Short-Season Vermont in 2007, appearing in 13 games and going 5-2 with a 2.38 ERA. His five wins ranked second on the team behind Adrian Alaniz, who won eight.

Plasencia was hitting .282 with a pair of home runs and six runs driven in 21 games with the Suns this season. The 23-year-old began the 2007 season with Potomac and struggled, hitting just .209 with one home run and 11 RBIs. Following a demotion to Hagerstown, the Venezuelan-native responded by posting a .260 average and hitting a career-high 14 home runs while driving in 38.

A former Milwaukee Brewers farmhand, Plasencia owns a .264 career average with 35 home runs and 213 RBIs in six professional seasons.