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Zito, Giants aim to take rubber game from Nationals

Sep 2, 2007 - 2:26 PM San Francisco (62-74) at Washington (59-77) 1:35 pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - Oddly enough, the Washington Nationals are one of the few teams Barry Zito has not beaten yet.

Zito takes the mound looking to fix that as the San Francisco Giants face the Nationals in the rubber game of a three-game series on Sunday.

Zito (9-11, 4.59 ERA), who is 2-1 with a 2.56 ERA in his last six starts, allowed four runs and six hits in five innings of a no-decision in an 8-6 loss to Washington on August 7. Zito also lost to Washington in 2005 while pitching for the Oakland Athletics.

In his last outing, the 29-year-old lefthander allowed a run and four hits in seven innings, but did not factor into a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday.

Matt Chico (5-7, 4.96) takes the mound for the Nationals, who snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 4-1 win on Sunday.

Chico, who is the only Washington starter not to land on the disabled list this year, was recalled from Class AAA Columbus on Saturday. The 24-year-old lefthander made his last start on August 17, giving up four runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings of a 6-2 loss to the New York Mets.