National League Preview from The Sports Network
Thursday, April 26th
(All times Eastern)
Washington Nationals (14-4) at San Diego Padres (5-14), 10:05 p.m.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Washington - Edwin Jackson (1-1, 4.26)
San Diego - Edinson Volquez (0-2, 4.30)
(Sports Network) - And the Washington Nationals keep on winning.
The National League-leading Nats take aim at a fifth straight victory this
evening and a three-game sweep over the San Diego Padres.
Washington has jumped out to a league-leading 14-4 start, a record it improved
last night with a victory in San Diego. Jordan Zimmermann continued the
Nationals' excellent run of starting pitching, giving up one run through six
innings while adding an RBI single.
The only costly mistake Zimmermann made resulted in a solo home run by Orlando
Hudson. The right-hander was otherwise solid in picking up his first win,
allowing just four hits while striking out six and not issuing a walk.
"It's pretty nice going out there when you have a two-run lead in a big
ballpark like this," Zimmermann said of spacious Petco Park. "If you get
behind on someone you can groove them something over the middle and try to let
them put it in play."
Hudson's homer snapped a string of 26 straight scoreless innings by Washington
starters, a Nats record.
Adam LaRoche led Washington's offense with three hits, two runs scored and an
RBI, while Wilson Ramos went 2-for-5 and capped a four-run seventh inning with
a two-run single.
"They had some well-placed hits in the seventh," Padres manager Bud Black
said.
Joe Wieland suffered the loss after allowing two runs on five hits and three
walks over six innings for the Padres, who had won two straight before
dropping the first two meetings of this three-game series.
Washington has won seven of its past eight, with the lone loss in that span
coming in Edwin Jackson's last outing on Thursday. He'll look to rebound for
the Nationals this evening.
After hurling a one-run, two-hit complete game to beat the Reds on April 14
for his first victory with the club, the right-handed Jackson suffered his
inaugural loss with the Nats on Thursday against the Astros. He allowed five
runs on seven hits over five frames, striking out five without a walk.
"I couldn't make pitches to get out of it," Jackson said. "I just left a few
balls up, in position to put people away and I didn't."
The 28-yer-old is 0-3 with a 5.40 earned run average in seven career games
versus the Padres, including five starts.
Edinson Volquez tries again for his first win with San Diego, having gone 0-2
with a 4.30 ERA through his first four outings with the club. The Padres have
lost each of Volquez's starts.
The 28-year-old righty had allowed just two hits over six scoreless frames
versus the Phillies last time out on Friday, but ended up allowing three runs
on five hits and three walks in six-plus frames to suffer a 4-1 setback.
Volquez is 1-1 with a 9.72 ERA in two career meetings with the Nationals.
The Nationals won three of four in San Diego last season.
04/26 10:32:47 ET

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