SAN DIEGO Wednesday evening, as clouds rolled over Petco Park, the Washington Nationals found a new way to win. Tom Gorzelanny concealed his smile after he smacked an RBI single on his way to a three-inning save. Starting pitchers kicked their feet up on the dugout railing. Hitters bumped fists at the helmet rack. Manager Davey Johnson sat back on the bench.
The Nationals had built the National Leagues best record on a steady diet of incredible pitching, one-run leads, antacid pills and chewed-off fingernails. Wednesday, they could finally relax with a 7-2 victory over the San Diego Padres, their largest margin of victory during an unprecedented, unexpected and unbelievable start.
After Jordan Zimmermanns stellar performance and an unusual outpouring of support for him, the Nationals had another series victory in their back pocket, 6 for 6 this year. They have a 14-4 record, the best start in Washington baseball history, matched only by the 1932 Senators. This laid-back victory put all the others 13 decided by four runs or fewer, eight decided by two or one in perspective.
Not that we can lay down late in the game, first baseman Adam LaRoche said. But its nice to know every pitch, every play isnt a potential loss. If we keep flirting with these one- and two-run games, one pitch, one base hit and we can lose. It hasnt happened. And its been awesome.
If the Nationals wanted to add another nip-and-tuck win, Zimmermann made it possible. He allowed one run in six innings on four hits and no walks to go with six strikeouts, which actually raised his ERA to 1.33, which ranks no better than third among Nationals starters.
For me, I always want to try to do better than the guy before, Zimmermann said. That would not be a problem on most staffs. But he follows Gio Gonzalez, who has a 20-inning scoreless streak. And Gonzalez follows Stephen Strasburg.
Before he allowed a home run in the fifth, Zimmermann extended the Nationals starting rotations scoreless streak to 26 innings, their longest such stretch since baseball returned to Washington. In 14 of 18 games this season, their starters have allowed two or fewer earned runs.
Theyre trying to compete against each other when theyre going out there, Johnson said. Its been fun to watch.
The difference Wednesday was, without Ryan Zimmerman but against the rancid Padres (5-14), the Nationals didnt need a great start. LaRoche went 3 for 3 with a walk, raising his on-base percentage to over .400 while producing his team-leading 14th RBI. The Nationals turned a one-run game into a blowout with a four-run seventh, paced by Wilson Ramoss two-run, bases-loaded single.
The Nationals could lose Zimmerman for another week. They have played all season without cleanup hitter Michael Morse and closer Drew Storen. It hasnt mattered.
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Nationals vs. Padres: Jordan Zimmermann gets rare run support as Washington cruises to win
