Diamondbacks 4 - 2 Nationals
Final
  for this game

D'Backs continue series with Nats

Aug 24, 2011 - 3:01 PM (Sports Network) - The Arizona Diamondbacks were able to squelch their six- game losing streak with last night's win over the Washington Nationals and look to make it two in a row Wednesday in the third test of a four-game set.

Arizona rebounded from Monday's series-opening loss with last night's 2-0 victory behind Sean Burroughs' two-run homer in the seventh inning. The D'Backs still lead the National League West by two games ahead of the Giants.

"I was basically looking dead red fastball, try to get it out front, get my foot down early and try to stay up the middle," Burroughs said of his first homer since April 30, 2005. "It was just one of those things. I wasn't trying to hit a home run, I never, obviously, ever do."

The former Little League World Series participant made a winner out of Ian Kennedy, who became the first pitcher in the National League to reach 16 victories. He tossed seven shutout innings and struck out eight batters. Kennedy's 16 wins are the most for a Diamondbacks pitcher since Dan Haren had 16 in 2008.

The D'Backs made a roster move on Tuesday by trading second baseman Kelly Johnson to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for second baseman Aaron Hill and shortstop John McDonald. Outfielder Justin Upton left last night's game in the bottom of the fifth inning after he was hit on the left elbow. He is listed as day-to-day. Arizona is 2-6 on a 10-game road trip and will pin pitching duties on Daniel Hudson this evening. Hudson is 2-4 in his last six starts and allowed four runs in six innings during Friday's 4-2 loss at Atlanta.

The loss dropped Hudson to 12-9 in 26 starts with a 3.83 ERA. The right-hander has never faced Washington and is 5-5 with a 4.39 ERA in 13 road assignments this season.

Washington had won two straight and four of five games before dropping a tough one on Tuesday. Jordan Zimmermann was saddled with the loss, as he surrendered both runs on Burroughs' homer and five hits total over 6 1/3 innings.

"It's happened a couple times this year, where there's always one pitch at the end of a game that is a double or home run, and they get a couple of runs," Zimmermann said. "In a close ballgame, you can't give those hits up."

Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth had two hits apiece, while Ryan Zimmerman recorded a hit and has reached base safely in 29 consecutive games. He is batting .402 over his current streak.

The Nats are 5-3 on a 10-game homestand and hope Livan Hernandez can pitch them back into the win column. Hernandez is 7-11 with a 4.34 ERA in 26 starts and did not record a decision in Friday's 8-4 win over Philadelphia in the nation's capital. He was touched for four runs and seven hits in four innings.

Hernandez, a right-hander, is 5-3 in 13 home starts this season and lost to Arizona on June 4 in a 2-0 setback in the desert. He tossed seven innings of two-run ball in that one and is 11-8 with a 3.56 ERA in 22 career starts against the Diamondbacks. Hernandez pitched for the D'Backs in parts of 2006 and 2007.

Arizona and Washington split a two-game series at Chase Field from June 2-5.






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