• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Nationals target rare series win at San Diego

Jun 12, 2011 - 3:36 PM (Sports Network) - The Washington Nationals target a rare series victory in San Diego as they close out a four-game set with the Padres this afternoon from Petco Park.

The Montreal/Washington franchise hasn't claimed a series win in San Diego since August 17-19, 2001 and has recorded back-to-back wins as the guest in this series for the first time since Sept. 11-12, 1999 at Qualcomm Stadium.

Washington has posted consecutive 2-1 victories over the Padres since dropping the series opener by a 7-3 score. In Saturday's one-run triumph for the Nats, John Lannan tossed 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball for the win and three other relievers closed the door, with Drew Storen nailing down his 14th save with two K's in the ninth.

Danny Espinosa had an RBI double and Wilson Ramos plated a run to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Lannan and the bullpen took over from there to give Washington its seventh win in 12 tries.

"I'm just rolling with it," Lannan said. "The sinker is there, the confidence is there. I just keep on building off each start."

Nats high-priced right fielder Jayson Werth batted leadoff and went 0-for-4 at the plate. Werth said afterwards he's comfortable "anywhere in the lineup." Ian Desmond went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to seven games and is batting .313 in that stretch. Mike Morse had a six-game hit streak halted.

The Nationals are 5-5 on an 11-game road trip and will head home tonight to start a nine-game residency versus the Cardinals, Orioles and Mariners.

Jordan Zimmermann has won back-to-back starts and is 3-2 in his previous five decisions, and will take the hill for the Nationals today. He has thrown seven innings of one-run ball in back-to-back wins over Arizona and San Francisco, and ran his record to 4-6 in 12 starts with Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Giants.

Zimmermann, a right-hander, is 3-2 in seven road starts this season and lost his only appearance against San Diego on May 28. In that 2-1 decision to the Padres at Nationals Park, Zimmermann lasted six innings and was reached for two runs and five hits.

San Diego has dropped two in a row and three of four games, and fell to 5-5 on an 11-game homestand with Saturday's loss. Padres starter Clayton Richard was charged with five hits over seven innings and he dropped his fourth straight decision.

Anthony Rizzo, playing in just his third major league game, homered in the second inning for San Diego and finished with a team-high two hits.

"I faced Lannan last year a couple of times in Double-A, so I kind of have an idea of what he had. ... I know he likes to throw his fastball early," Rizzo said on the team's site. "It was fastball middle-in. It kind of looked over the middle and I was fortunate enough to hit it."

Outfielder Ryan Ludwick went 1-for-4 and has hit safely in 24 of his last 32 games since May 11. Ludwick, however, missed on a dive attempt when Espinosa doubled in the first inning.

"If I could redo it, obviously I'd be less aggressive and play it on a hop," Ludwick said. "I really thought I could make that play."

The Padres will hit the road after today's game to visit Colorado, Minnesota and Boston for nine games. They will re-unite with former slugger Adrian Gonzalez, who joined the Red Sox in the offseason.

Tim Stauffer draws the start for the Friars today and is 2-1 in his last three trips to the mound. He is coming off eight shutout innings of four-hit ball and eight K's in a 2-0 victory over Colorado on Tuesday.

Stauffer bounced back from a dreadful start versus Houston in which he yielded seven runs -- five earned -- and eight hits in five innings. The right-hander is 2-4 with a 3.58 ERA in 13 total starts, but 1-3 in seven trips to the Petco Park mound this season.

He defeated Washington on the road back on May 28 in a 2-1 win, allowing just one run through seven innings. In three career starts against the Nationals, Stauffer owns a 2-1 mark and a 2.45 ERA.

San Diego had won three straight over the Nationals before losing Friday's bout, but is 10-4 over its last 14 games at home in this series.