Zimmerman, Morse power Nationals past Giants

By Ben Standig for The Sports Xchange

WASHINGTON -- During batting practice, San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy noticed batted balls carrying high and far out of Nationals Park.

During the game, Washington's lineup showed that his perception was accurate.

Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse, Jhonatan Solano and Rick Ankiel provided long-ball fireworks as the Nationals rebounded from an early hole for a 9-4 Independence Day victory over San Francisco.

Trailing 3-0 after the first inning, Washington's power bats sparked the Nationals to a third straight win. After scoring three runs in the third inning, Solano's solo homer in the fourth and consecutive bombs by Zimmerman and Morse in the fifth -- all against the often dominate Madison Bumgarner (10-5) -- built a 7-3 advantage.

Zimmerman's two-run homer drifted over the right-center field wall and he tallied three RBIs as the Nationals (47-32) improved to 15 games above .500 for the second time this season. Washington has scored a combined 26 runs during the three-game streak.

Pablo Sandoval drove in three runs and had three of the Giants six hits, including a home run and a double. Entering the day atop the NL West, San Francisco (45-37) has lost four of five games, including the first two of a three-game set in Washington.

The Nationals third baseman didn't initially think his drifting fly ball had home run distance. Less surprising for Zimmerman, who has battled through shoulder pain this season, is how the Nationals lineup has produced lately.

"Now that we're getting healthy, people are starting to find out what their roles are," said Zimmerman, now batting .369 (17-for-46) with four home runs and 16 RBI over his last 10 games. "It's a lot easier for them to get comfortable and we've been scoring a lot more runs."

The game began at 11 a.m. ET, which Zimmerman deemed "an interesting start time." For a west coast team like the Giants, that's one way to phrase it.

"Sure it played a part," Bochy said of adjusting to the time change. "But it's part of the schedule and you deal with it. Like I said, we did what we wanted to do by getting on the board early. We just couldn't hold it."

Edwin Jackson (5-4) tossed 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and five hits with two walks and three strikeouts for his fourth win in five decisions. Relievers Tom Gorzelanny, Sean Burnett and Mike Gonzalez held the Giants scoreless over the final 3 1/3 innings.

The two starters entered the game with vast differences in momentum. Last Thursday, Bumgarner (10-5) tossed a one-hit shutout against the Reds, capping a dynamic 5-0 month of June. That version showed up, for a little while anyway.

Before a crowd of 35,806, Bumgarner held the Nationals without a hit over the opening two and two-third innings before five consecutive batters reached with two outs. Staked to a three-run lead, he surrendered two singles before Zimmerman hammered an RBI double off the top of the leftfield wall. After Morse's walk loaded the bases, Ian Desmond singled up the middle to score Bryce Harper and Zimmerman.

Bumgarner escaped further damage, but lost the lead in the fourth on Solano's second homer of the season, one of a season-high three he allowed over five innings plus a batter in the sixth.

"It looked like the ball was carrying today, but they put the good part of the bat on it," Bumgarner said.

The left-hander gave up seven runs and nine hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.

"You've got to give those guys a lot of credit, they were putting good swings on balls," Bumgarner said. "I'd make some pretty decent pitches, get to two strikes and then leave the ball up over the plate or something for them to hit. I had a hard time finishing guys."

The same day last week came Jackson's worst outing of the season, when he allowed eight runs over three innings in a no-decision at Colorado.

After allowing a walk, a single and an RBI groundout to Buster Posey, Jackson watched the All-Star Sandoval turn a 1-2 offering into a blast landing in the stands above the centerfield wall.

Jackson held the Nationals scoreless until the sixth when his own two-out trouble led to him being chased after Sandoval's RBI double pulled the Giants closer at 7-4.

Ankiel's smacked a two-run home run in the eighth off reliever Clay Hensley.

NOTES. Desmond, named to his first All-Star game this week, has at least two RBI in four of his last six games...The Nationals improved to 5-3 on July 4 since moving to D.C. from Montreal while the Giants fell to 25-35-1. ... Giants 1B Aubrey Huff (right knee sprain) is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Class A Advanced San Jose on Wednesday. ... The finale of the three-game series pits Giants RHP Matt Cain (9-3, 2.53 ERA) against LHP Ross Detwiler (4-3, 3.30).