Washington, DC (Sports Network) – Ryan Zimmerman drove in two runs and John Lannan was solid in seven innings on the mound, as Washington defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-2, in the opener of a three-game series at Nationals Park.
Lannan (4-5) gave up two runs on four hits for the Nationals, who snapped a five-game skid. He also struck out five and walked one.
Wil Nieves hit a solo homer for Washington, which got an RBI from Mike Morse.
Arizona starter Joe Saunders (1-2) went six-plus innings in the start, allowing four runs on 10 hits.
Stephen Drew and Gerardo Parra each drove in a run for the Diamondbacks, who have dropped two in a row since a three-game win streak.
The Nationals scored three runs off Saunders in the first. Alberto Gonzalez and Ian Desmond hit consecutive singles to start the inning. Both runners advanced one base on Adam Dunn’s groundout. Zimmerman cleared the bases with a single to left, moved to second on the throw home, and crossed the plate on Morse’s base hit.
Nieves’ homer to left-center field in the second made it a 4-0 game.
Arizona finally got to Lannan in the fifth. Mark Reynolds worked a one-out walk and scored on Drew’s triple down the right-field line. Drew raced home on Parra’s single to cut the gap to 4-2.
The Diamondbacks did not advance a runner past first base the rest of the way.
These two clubs split a four-game set in Arizona from August 2-5. The Nationals have won eight of the last 11 meetings overall…Lannan improved to 1-2 in eight home starts this season.