Denver, CO – Ian Desmond drove in three runs and Ross Ohlendorf threw six solid innings in his season debut as the Washington Nationals defeated the Colorado Rockies, 5-1, in the middle test of a three- game series at Coors Field.
Ohlendorf (1-0), whose contract was selected from Triple-A Syracuse prior to the game, allowed one run on two hits and a pair of walks. The 30-year-old right-hander signed a minor-league contract this offseason and went 4-5 with a 4.27 ERA in 13 games for Syracuse.
"He used all his pitches and basically went right after them," Washington manager Davey Johnson said of Ohlendorf. "He made his pitches and went deep into the ballgame. Just an outstanding job."
Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon had an RBI apiece for the Nationals.
Carlos Gonzalez hit an RBI triple, but the Rockies mustered just three hits. Starter Jorge De La Rosa (7-4) gave up three runs on four hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings to lose for the first time in his last eight starts. It was also his first home loss since Sept. 26, 2010.
"He mixed it up, basically, never really fell into patterns or sequences," Colorado manager Walt Weiss said of Ohlendorf. "He used his fastball well, used his breaking ball off of that. There was some deception."
Zimmerman walked to start the fourth and scored on a two-out single to right by Desmond.
Washington scored three runs in the sixth. Jeff Kobernus drew a walk with one out. Next up was Zimmerman, who knocked a 3-2 pitch toward the center-field wall. Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler both leapt to make the catch. Fowler had the ball in his glove, but collided on top of Gonzalez and dropped it, allowing Kobernus to score from first.
Adam Ottavino replaced De La Rosa and got Jayson Werth to ground out. However, he intentionally walked Adam LaRoche, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. With two on and two out, Desmond delivered a single to center and scored both of them to give the Nationals a 5-0 lead.
The Rockies finally scored in the bottom of the inning. Jonathan Herrera reached first on a fielder's choice and stole second base. Gonzalez then tripled on a 1-2 pitch that bounced off the center-field wall, plating Herrera.
Chris Volstad, who was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs before the game, came in to pitch in the eighth. He gave up a double to right center by LaRoche. Two batters later, Rendon ripped an RBI double to left center.
Rafael Soriano came in to pitch in the ninth for the Nationals. He allowed a leadoff single by Herrera, but got the next three batters out to end the game.
Game Notes
The Rockies came to terms with Jonathan Gray, the third overall pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft ... Gonzalez has 31 RBI at home, most in the National League ... Desmond is on a 14-game hitting streak ... The Nationals were 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
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