The Washington Nationals target their ninth straight win and a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks this afternoon when they close out their set at Chase Field.
Washington extended its season best win streak on Saturday, as Ryan Zimmerman picked up a pair of hits and drove in two runs to help the Nationals to a 6-5 triumph.
Edwin Jackson (7-7) recovered from a tough start to pick up the win. Jackson was chased after 5 2/3 innings in which he allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks. He stuck out six.
"Definitely the runs we scored backed up a bad outing by me," Jackson said. "I guess it was just good enough to keep us close."
The victory put the Nationals within two of matching a franchise-best 10-game win streak, accomplished four times and most recently June 2-12, 2005. Washington is also one win away from equaling its franchise-best nine-game road winning streak set July 29-Aug. 10, 1994, and again from Sept. 12-26, 201.
The Nationals tagged Wade Miley (12-8) for six runs -- four earned -- on nine hits and walk in 4 1/3 innings.
"It's very frustrating," Miley said. "Especially you go out and the team gets you four runs early, this ones on me. I just wasn't able to keep the lead. I wasn't executing pitches, staying middle. It just got ugly, like a merry-go- round out there, I couldn't put an end to it."
Aaron Hill hit a home run as the Diamondbacks lost for the sixth time in their last eight games.
Getting the call for the Nats this afternoon will be righty Ross Detwiler, who is 6-4 with a 2.99 ERA. Detwiler did not get a decision on Tuesday in Houston, as he allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings of a 3-2 win.
"I'm throwing a lot of sinkers. I'm throwing a lot of fastballs," Detwiler said after his last start. "They're trying to jump on it early, and they're trying to get a good pitch to hit. If I can make my pitch, that's what I want to do. I want to get out of there early, and I'll be able to go deeper in games."
Detwiler beat the D'Backs the last time he faced them and is 2-1 in three starts against them with a 3.18 ERA.
Arizona will counter with lefty Patrick Corbin, who has been great since being recalled from Triple-A Reno. After tossing six scoreless innings to get the win in his return on August 1, Corbin gave up two runs and six hits in six innings to Pittsburgh on Tuesday. He also struck out a season-high seven batters, but did not get a decision in that one, though, and is 3-4 on the year with a 3.53 ERA.
The Diamondbacks will be trying to avoid their first home sweep to the Nationals since May 14-16, 2004, when that franchise was playing its final season as the Montreal Expos.
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