It was a tough road trip that featured a six-game losing streak and an offensive drought that was certainly troublesome. But at the end of the day, the bats woke up and the pitching stayed solid and the Arizona Diamondbacks won their third-straight over the Washington Nationals in convincing fashion, 8-1.
With the win, the D-backs finish the tough road trip with a decent 4-6 record. We would have liked to have seen better, but with the Giants struggling as well the D-backs are still up two-games in the NL West. They were up two-games in the NL West after their last home game against the Mets.
While it's safe to say that the class of the National League -- the Phillies and the Braves --- are still a ways better than Arizona, these final three wins over Washington make a division pennant all the more possible.
To beat the Nationals, the D-backs got a solid six inning scoreless start from youngster Wade Miley. In his second start in the majors, Miley gave up five hits and four walks but he used his four strikeouts to help himself out of a few jams.
The game remained scoreless for both sides until the sixth inning when Chris Young hit a bomb to drive in himself along with birthday boy Justin Upton (24) who singled ahead of him. In the bottom of the sixth, Brian Shaw struggled out of the pen and gave up a run and left a mess that Brad Zeigler was able to clean up.
In the eighth inning, Paul Goldschmidt ended any doubt when he toasted a ball well into the left field seats to increase the lead to 5-1. Three more runs in the ninth and the route was secure.
The D-backs now return home to start the final stretch of their schedule that includes nine out of ten series against NL West opponents. It starts with a home stand against the Padres this weekend at Chase Field.
For more on this game and all things D-backs, visit AZ Snake Pit.