Ryan Zimmerman Hits In 29-Straight, Washington Nationals Hit 3 HR's In Loss To San Francisco Giants, 11-8.

HEADLINE:

THE KIDS CALL IT THE STREAK!!!!

• Ryan Zimmerman Singles In First AB Against Big Unit, Extends Hit Streak To 29 games.

The Washington Nationals' 24-year-old third baseman, their Face of the Franchise©, their '05 1st Round pick, their 5-year/$45 million dollar man, has been on a hitting streak since the first week of the season, the third game of '09, in fact, and after going 4 for 5 with 2 HR's and 4 RBI's last night in an 11-8 loss on the road in San Francisco, Zimmerman's hitting .363 with 12 doubles, 8 HR's and 26 RBI's. 

Zimmerman ended the suspense early again tonight with a single to center in the first on an 86 mph slider that Giants' left-hander Randy Johnson didn't get far enough inside. Slider in tight, a splitter away and then back inside with more slide at 86 and Zimmerman grounds into a force at second in his second AB in the third, hustling to first to beat out the DP throw. In the sixth, in the third meeting with the future Hall of Fame pitcher, Zimmerman got hold of another Johnson slider, again at 86 mph in and long GONE to left...Ryan Zimmer--THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!!...

...Top of the eight, San Francisco reliever Justin Miller throws three straight sliders outside and watches the third buzz behind his legs as it skips into center off Zimmerman's bat. In the 9th? Why not...Ryan Zimmerman steps to the plate, with the game seemingly out of reach, the Giants are up 11-4, reliever Osiris Matos gets two outs, surrenders two singles and then stares in at Zimmerman with two on and two down in the ninth...Ryan Zimmer--THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! HR TO RIGHT, OVER THE WALL AND INTO THE STANDS!!! THAT'S RIGHT! TO RIGHT IN AT&T!!! Three-run blast for Zimmerman, his second of the night, eighth on the year, Zimmerman hits two HR's in one game for the...

Fourth time in his career...

Tomorrow night's matchup...

Ryan Zimmerman vs Matt Cain -3 for 13, .231 AVG, 1 2B, 1HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K's. 

There are, depending upon where you look, 14-18 players in baseball history who have hit in as many as 30 straight games, going as far back as Cal McVey of the Chicago White Stockings in 1876 and as recently as 2006, when Willy Taveras hit in 30 for Houston. MLB.com's list has just 7 players who have hit in 31 games. 4 who have survived through 33, 4 who've reached 34 and 4 more, at 35-straight. Beyond that there are 8 other players, from Jimmy Rollins 36-straight in 2005 to both Pete Rose in 1978 and Willy Keeler in 1897, who both got as far as 44, which was still 12 games away from the all-time mark, Joe DiMaggio's 56. 

Where will Ryan Zimmerman end up on the list? 

?'s For The DC Faithful...

• Is the Daniel Cabrera Experiment Over?
• Who Gets The First Call-Up, Or Shot At The Rotation If You're Replacing Cabrera?
• Was It Cabrera's Fault DC Lost? Or Josh Willingham's?

Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants. Game 30 or 31 of 162. 

The Guzzzz, Cristian Guzman pops up on the first pitch from Randy Johnson. Nick “Two-Spot” Johnson (no relation) hits a trademark single back up the middle. THE KIDS CALL IT THE STREAK!! AND IT’S 29 games long. Ryan Zimmerman singles to center, Johnson takes third. Adam Dunn K’s swinging over a sinking two-strike slider from the Big Unit. Elijah Dukes chases one too, no score after a half...DC’s Own DC, Daniel Cabrera gets a pop fly from Emmanuel Burriss to Josh Willingham in left. Edgar Renteria grounds a 1-1 pitch to short. Pablo Sandoval fouls off a few and then chases a two-strike slider into the dirt, 1-2-3 first for Cabrera. 

Josh Willingham bangs one off the foul pole! HR to left for the HAMMER!!! 1-0 DC. Aaron Rowand tracks back and catches the first out off Ronnie Belliard’s bat. Wil Nieves pops up foul of first, and Giants first baseman Travis Ishikawa goes to the wall and INTO THE STANDS after he makes the grab, and no one tries to catch him, for shame. Daniel Cabrera is not a batter....Ryan Zimmerman fires to first to get Giants’ catcher Bengie Molina. Randy Winn singles to center. Cabrera walks Aaron Rowand to put two on for Fred Lewis, who grounds into a force at second. Cabrera gets a wild one by Wil Nieves to score Winn from third. 1-1. Travis Ishikawa singles to scores Fred Lewis, 2-1 Giants. Nick Johnson ends the trouble with a backhand stab on Emmanuel Burriss’ groundout. 

Cristian Guzman beats Pablo Sandoval to the hole with a bouncing single. Randy Johnson gets Nick Johnson to chase a two-strike slider out of the zone. Ryan Zimmerman grounds into what should be a double play but the throw to first bounces and gets by Ishikawa. Adam Dinn grounds to first, Ishikawa makes the play...Daniel Cabrera gets Edgar Renteria to chase an 0-2 slider. Pablo Sandoval singles through short. Bengie Molina takes a high heater to center, Sandoval stops at second, when he sees Dukes start to throw. Randy Winn knocks Sandoval in with single to right, 3-1 Giants. Runners on first and second for Rowand. Cabrera walks Randy Winn to load’em up with one down. Belliard takes a knee to field Fred Lewis’ grounder and shuffles to Guzman to Johnson, double play. 

Randy Johnson silps slider in under Elijah Dukes’ bat, 5 K’s for the Unit. K #6 comes on a full count slider to Josh Willingham down the middle and out of thin air. Randy Johnson finally hangs one, and it’s the wrong person to hang one to, Ronnie Belli-YARD!!! Deep to left and GONE!! Solo shot, 3-2 Giants. Emmanuel Burriss throws out Nieves from behind second base...Travis Ishikawa hits one to center and on one hop it's out of the yard, ground rule double. Randy Johnson lines into Ronnie Belliard’s glove. Emmanuel Burriss grounds out to second, Ishikawa takes third. Edgar Renteria lines into Belliard’s glove. 

Daniel Cabrera is not a batter. Randy Johnson gets Guzman with a fastball inside. Randy Johnson’s slider is nasty, Nick Johnson doesn’t stand a chance...Pablo Sandoval demolishes a high inside fastball and bounces it off the brick wall in right field. Bengie Molina grounds to short, Guzman to first, Sandoval to third. Randy Winn’s up with one out, and Cabrera hits him in the thigh. Winn steals second, at least he had to slide on the leg Cabrera hit. Aaron Rowand K’s chasing a curve into the dirt. Fred Lewis flies to left, Willingham starts back, charges in and just flat out misses it, allowing two runs to score, 5-2 Giants. Ishikawa gets the intentionals from Cabrera, but he doesn’t intend to walk Randy Johnson. Emmanuel Burriss with the bases loaded, walks. 6-2 San Fran. Edgar Renteria walks. 7-2 Giants. Logan Kensing’s on for what’s often referred to as relief, and walks in Pablo Sandoval. 8-2 Giants, Bengie Molina flies out to center to mercifully end the inning. 

Ryan Zimmerm...THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! Zimmerman gets hold of a hanger and launches it to left and GONE!! 8-3 Giants. Randy Johnson gives up a single to the Big Walky. Elijah Dukes beats Pablo Sandoval to the line with a double to left that scores Dunn. 8-4 Giants. Hammer faces a new pitcher, righty Justin Miller, and K’s looking at a two-strike fastball on the corner low and inside. Ronnie Belliard pushes Winn back in right where he makes the grab...Randy Winn singles off Logan Kensing to start the sixth. Aaron Rowand beats Zimmerman to third with a liner to left, Winn scores from first, Kensing done. 9-4. Ron Villone up, Fred Lewis grounds weakly toward first and gets called out for leaving the basepath. Rowand to third. Ishikawa lines to left, Rowand scores. 10-4. Villone strikes out the pitcher, Justin Miller. Guzman throws to first before Burriss can get there.

Willie Harris flies out to Rowand in center. Cristian Guzman slaps a single to right through second. Nick Johnson singl...Burriss grabs it, throws to first, doubles up Guzman...Ron Villone vs Renteria to start the Giants’ seventh, Rent grounds out to the Guzzz at short. Pablo Sandoval grounds out to short. Bengie Molina hits a low liner to Willie Harris at second to end the seventh. 

Ryan Zimmerman starts the eighth with a single to center off Justin Miller. Osiris Matos vs Adam Dunn, Dunn goes to left, beating the dramatic shift. Dukes, almost, flies out to Winn in right. Josh WIllingham flies out to left. Austin Kearns goes down swinging, scoreless frame for Matos...Joel Hanrahan gets a groundball out of Randy Winn. Aaron Rowand lines over first and takes second. Fred Lewis drives a single to center, Rowand takes third. Travis Ishikawa K’s chasing Hanny’s junk. Osiris Matos grounds to second, Willie Harris bobbles and throws late to first, the pitcher, knocks in a run (if it's ruled a hit)...the relief pitcher...11-4 San Fran. Emmanuel Burriss flies to center to end the eighth.

3 more outs. Osiris Matos vs Wil Nieves. Nieves lines a single to left. Willie Harris singles through Matos’ wickets and into center, two on, no outs for Guzman. Guzman K’s looking at a high inside fastball. Nick Johnson hits a fly ball to left and it starts foul and curves back in, Fred Lewis makes the catch. Ryan Zimmerma--THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! HR TO RIGHT, 3-run blast powered out to right. THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! 11-7. Adam Dunn goes to a full count, and walks, Matos out, Brandon Medders vs Dukes. Dukes singles through short!!! The Giants turn to the closer. Brian “Not That Brian” Wilson throws three fastballs by Josh Willingham. Giants win. 11-7 final.

Nationals now 10-20-1.