WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals put a quick end
to an outstanding stretch of starting pitching by the Los
Angeles Dodgers.
Livan Hernandez pitched seven solid innings and Ryan Zimmerman
collected three RBIs as the Nationals snapped the Dodgers'
seven-game winning streak with a 10-4 victory in the opener of a
three-game series.
Alfonso Soriano homered and finished with two RBIs and Nick
Johnson had two hits for Washington, which extended its winning
streak to a season-best four games.
Los Angeles Dodgers starter Brett Tomko (5-2) was tagged for six
runs and nine hits in just 4 2/3 frames. He was part of a unit
that held the opposition to one earned run in 26 innings over
their previous six starts, but things went much differently on
Friday.
Jose Vidro opened the barrage with an RBIs single in the first
before Zimmerman delivered a two-run double in the third for a
3-0 lead. Royce Clayton added an RBIs single in the fourth and
Damian Jackson tripled in a run in the fifth, ending Tomko's
night. He scored on a wild pitch by Odalis Perez for a 6-0
cushion.
After the Dodgers halved the deficit with a three-run seventh,
Zimmerman and Marlon Anderson had run-scoring hits in the bottom
half and Soriano hit his 17th home run of the year in the next
frame, a two-run blast over the left field wall for a 10-3
cushion.
Hernandez (3-5) yielded three runs and six hits while striking
out five. He did not walk a batter and snapped a personal
four-game losing streak.