Washington Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann pitched another good outing, but he is out after six innings and Sean Burnett is in to help hold off the San Diego Padres who lead Saturday's game 2-1.
Zimmermann only gave up two runs on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts lowering his ERA to 3.88, but he ran into trouble in the fourth-inning when Chase Headley scored on a Blake Tekotte triple and then Tekotte was driven in on a Kyle Phillips single. Zimmermann now waits watching from the dugout to see if the Nationals can muster some extra offense.
The Nationals had only two hits off Padres pitcher Tim Stauffer until the bottom of the seventh-inning when powerhouse outfielder Laynce Nix took Stauffer yard for the Nats only run of the game so far. Nix, Michael Morse, Ivan Rodriguez and Jerry Hairston Jr. have all collected hits.
The Nationals and Padres are in the bottom of the seventh-inning.