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ATLANTA -- Third baseman Ryan Zimmeran tried to put a positive spin on his broken right thumb and the Washington Nationals list of injuries. "Hopefully well get all this out of the way," he said, "and everyone will be healthy the rest of the year." Zimmerman was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday and is expected to miss between four to six weeks. He was injured in the fifth inning of Saturdays 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves while getting picked off as he dove back to second base. "I thought just my nail had bent back, because the nail was black and blue and bleeding," Zimmerman said. "It was the whole thumb, not just the nail. It stinks but it happens. It was just a freak accident." Infielder Zach Walters was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to take Zimmermans spot on the 25-man roster. Walters hit .290 with three doubles and three RBIs in nine games at Syracuse. Washington a few minutes before the first pitch that centre fielder Nate McLouth had been scratched from the lineup with an undisclosed injury. Bryce Harper moved from left field to centre field and went from sixth in the batting order to second. Kevin Frandsen took Harpers spot in left field and batted sixth. The Nationals received some good news Sunday when right fielder Jayson Werth returned to the lineup. A sore groin kept Werth from playing in the field Saturday. He singled as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. Centre fielder Denard Span was placed on the seven-day disabled list Saturday with concussion symptoms, but said he feels better. Span missed 70 games with Minnesota in 2011 because of concussion symptoms following a collision at home plate. He was injured Friday after colliding on the basepath with Braves second baseman Dan Uggla. "If I had to play today I could play," Span said. "But I understand with my history that its best for me to go ahead and go on the 7-day DL, just to be safe, and think about the long rest of the season and also the rest of my life." General manager Mike Rizzo said Zimmerman will see a hand specialist at the Cleveland Clinic on Monday. Zimmerman, in his eighth season, has a .286 career average, 181 homers and 678 RBIs. In 33 at-bats this year, hes hitting .364 with two homers and six RBIs. With Zimmerman out of the lineup, Anthony Rendon moved from second base to third and Danny Espinosa started at second. If theres good news to come from Zimmermans injury, perhaps the time off will allow him to rest his right shoulder. Zimmerman won an NL Gold Glove award in 2009 but has dealt with shoulder problems in recent years. He underwent surgery after the 2012 season. He said a few days ago that switching from an over-the-top delivery to more of a sidearm throw is "a work in progress, but theres no pain." On April 5 in Washington, Zimmermans throwing error led to a pair of unearned runs in a loss to Atlanta. The Nationals signed Zimmerman to a six-year, $100 million contract extension on Feb. 26, 2012. Cheap Nike Shoes China . -- Challenged for the first time under Major League Baseballs expanded replay system, umpires got it right. Cheap Shoes China .Cullen scored the go-ahead goal at 13:47 of the third period and Nashville beat the slumping Dallas Stars 3-2 on Thursday in a game that wasnt decided until the last shot of the night. http://www.shoeschinacheap.com/. Malone will become an unrestricted free-agent and as per the collective bargaining agreement, the Lightning will be responsible for two-thirds of the remainder of his contract over twice the length of the rest of the deal. Cheap Shoes . - The Florida Panthers are getting some Army training to finish off their preparations for the season.TORONTO – This was what Jonathan Bernier wanted all along. This is what he pined for as the backup in Los Angeles, stuck for years in the shadow of Jonathan Quick. And yet now that hes finally gripped hold of his first No. 1 job in the NHL, the 25-year-old knows that satisfaction is far from being attained. "Things can change," he said, mindfully. "You can be a No. 1 for 10 years and then next day, youre a backup. My goal is not to be a No.1 for a year or half a season, I want to be a good goalie for a long time, hopefully." Just 33 starts into that quest – by far the most of his NHL career – Bernier is off to a fine beginning. Starting for the 13th time in the past 17 games against the Lightning on Tuesday night, Bernier stopped 40 shots, including one of game-saving proportions on Martin St. Louis in the final moments. It was the kind of load-bearing performance that has become more norm than exception for Bernier, who is tied for sixth in the NHL in save percentage and fourth in even-strength save percentage among goaltenders with at least 20 starts. "When I got traded, I knew that was my chance to prove what I can do in this league," said Bernier, who is 5-1-0 in his last six starts. "My main focus was always to be a No. 1 guy and Ive still got a lot to learn, but I think Im moving towards that." He and James Reimer traded starts until mid-December before the crease eventually tilted in favour of the Laval, Quebec native. His performance month-to-month has rarely wavered – .933 save percentage in October, .923 in November, .932 in December and .915 so far in January. "I knnew Randy, the type of coach he was," said Bernier of head coach Randy Carlyle, "I knew I had to really battle to earn [the job] which is the good way.dddddddddddd You dont want anything for free in life. [But] I didnt really focus on how many games I was playing, I think I was just focusing on getting better every day and every game and it just worked out that I started playing good and he kept me in." Maybe most notable in his year-long efforts has been his ability to withstand a nightly barrage of shots and chances, a far cry from the Kings, who were a constant amongst the NHLs best defensive teams. In fact, Bernier is facing 11 more shots per start this season with the Leafs (35) than a year ago in Los Angeles. He sits a sparkling 7-1-2 when challenged with 40 shots or more. "I think we can still improve as a team," he said honestly of the groups performance. "[Were] still giving up a lot of scoring chances, especially I thought last game wasnt our best one, but were coming out with wins. I think if we want to be successful in the playoffs – Ive been through that – youve really got to bear down defensively and be a good defensive team." Though the goalie competition has gradually evolved into a one-man job, Bernier understands that he is a long ways from proven as a No. 1 starter in this league. But he also carries a certain degree of pride and quiet confidence knowing that hes accomplished what he set out to do upon landing in Toronto. "Its not like I said yesterday I made it, Im a No. 1, I think youre just going day by day," he said. "Obviously, Im happy the way things turned out." ' ' '