Nationals’ battery leads club to Sunday night win over Giants

Take a look around the league with Big League Stew’s daily wrap up. We’ll hit on all of the biggest moments from the day that you may have missed, while providing highlights, photos and interesting stats.

The Washington Nationals played with nine fielders against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, but they really only needed two. Jordan Zimmermann and Wilson Ramos starred as the Nats took the 3-1 victory over the reigning World Series champs.

On the mound, Zimmermann was fantastic. He allowed just one run on three hits over seven strong innings. Zimmermann walked one and struck out eight during the contest. His only blemish was a solo home run to Brandon Crawford in the fourth inning. Other than that, the Giants failed to get much going against Zim.

At the plate, Zimmermann’s battery mate took center stage. Ramos broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning with a solo shot off George Kontos. He would also drive in the team’s insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. Ramos finished 2 for 3, with two runs scored and two RBI. He also reached on a walk.

Over his past three starts, Zimmermann has been exceptional. In 22 innings, he’s allowed just one earned run. He’s posted a 17:1 strikeout to walk ratio over that period. Following Sunday’s start, Zimmermann now has a 3.04 ERA. After a slow start to the year, he’s starting to round into form.

With the victory, the Nationals improved to 46-36 on the year.

BIG ERV IMPRESSES IN SEASON DEBUT

The Minnesota Twins have already made surprised plenty of people this season. They’ve been able to do so without one of their best pitchers, Ervin Santana. Santana returned from his suspension Sunday and pitched well during a 3-2 loss.

Santana, who was suspended for the first 80 games of the season after testing positive for steroids during the offseason, looked great in his first game back. The 32-year-old allowed two runs on just three hits over eight strong innings. Santana walked three, but struck out eight during the outing.

Santana left with the game tied, receiving a no-decision for his efforts. The Kansas City Royals managed to scratch across a run in the bottom of the ninth inning, saddling the Twins with the loss.

Minnesota’s rotation hasn’t been particularly strong all season, so Santana should provide a nice upgrade. The club ranks 18th in starting pitcher ERA and 17th in FIP, just below the league average in both categories.

With the loss, the Twins fell to 43-39 on the season. They are 4.5 games back of the Royals in the American League Central.

PHILLIES PULL OFF LATE RALLY

The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t experienced a ton of highlights this season, but that changed Sunday. Philly rallied against the Atlanta Braves, scoring four runs in extras to pick up the victory.

While neither factored into the decision, both starting pitchers deserve a ton of credit. Cole Hamels tossed seven scoreless frames, giving up just six hits. He did not issued a walk, and struck out six during the outing.

Shelby Miller wasn’t as good, but his performance was still impressive. Over 6 1/3 scoreless innings, Miller gave up seven hits. He walked two and struck out eight.

Both teams received strong bullpen work once their starters were removed. That lasted until the top of the 10th inning, when the Philly bats started to come alive.

The club feasted on Nick Masset immediately. Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez each singled to open the frame, and Maikel Franco walked to load the bases. Ryan Howard would come through with a sac fly, giving the team a 1-0 lead.

That wasn’t enough. Carlos Ruiz would drive in two more runs on a double, and Freddy Galvis would single in the fourth run of the inning.

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Jonathan Papelbon came on in the bottom of the ninth, and managed to shut the door. With the win, Philadelphia improved to 28-56 on the year.

MATZ DOES IT AGAIN FOR METS

By the end of the season, New York Mets might regret that they didn’t call up rookie Steven Matz sooner. The 24-year-old was excellent his second time out, picking up the 8-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Once again, Matz contributed in both aspects of the game. On the mound, he gave up just two hits over six shutout innings. Matz struck out eight and walked two during the outing.

At the plate, Matz picked up another RBI. He already has five RBI despite making just two starts in the majors.

With the victory, the Mets improved to 42-41 on the season. The club remains 4.5 games out of the National League East lead.

Want to see more from Sunday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.

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