THE KIDS CALL IT THE STREAK...

26 games. Ryan Zimmerman has hit in 26-straight games, and once again last night he ended the suspense early, singling off Arizona starter Yusmeiro Petit in his first at bat. Zimmerman ends the night 2 for 5 with a .339 AVG, 11 doubles, 5 HR's and 20 RBI's after 28 games. 

Smarty: Shairon Martis Can't Be Shook...

Shairon Martis gave up a leadoff double to D-Backs' second baseman Felipe Lopez in the bottom of the first and a fly ball and a groundout scored Lopez for the game's first run, but Martis held Arizona off the scoreboard as the Nationals built up a 4-1 lead through four. In the fifth, a leadoff single by Felipe "Where Was This In DC" Lopez and a triple by Chris Young brought the Diamondbacks, uh, back, making it 4-2 DC. Martis got the first out of the sixth and then allowed three-straight hits to bring Arizona within one at 4-3, before former D-Backs' prospect Garrett Mock was called on to get Martis out of a jam with the lead. Felipe Lopez flies out, Chris Young pops out, the D-Backs get MOCK'd, the Nationals hold the lead through eight. Julian Tavarez handles the eighth with the help of Eric Byrnes' awful base running, and Kip Wells comes on to close it and puts the D-Backs down in order. Nationals win, 5-4 final. 

Martis improves to (W, 4-0) in 6 starts and has a 4.67 ERA and 19 K's after 34.2 IP. Martis' line:

SHAKE N BAKE!! SHAKE N BAKE!! 

Arizona starter Yusmeiro Petit probably wants the 1-1 change he threw to Adam Dunn in the third back, or at least he'd like another shot at hitting the outside edge, because the 77 mph pitch he hung up for Dunn was demolished and it ended up going out to right to give DC a 3-1 lead. Petit was up 1-2 with Jesus Flores at the plate in the fourth, and the D-Backs' righty let Flores back in, and left a 2-2 slider up that Flores sent soaring out to left for a 4-1 DC lead. 

Dunn ends the night  2 for 5, hitting .296, with 4 doubles, 8 HR's and 24 RBI's, a .444 OBP and a .582 SLG. Jesus Flores goes 2 for 3, and he's hitting .314 with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR's and 15 RBI's after 25 games. Cristian Guzman goes 2 for 5, now hitting .392, WHAT? Guzman's OBP? .392 OBP. 

Nationals win, 5-4 final. 

If you missed Last Night's Game Thread, check out what the DC Faithful thought of the win...and what they thought about Stephen Strasburg's No-Hitter. Washington Post writer Chico Harlan was at Tony Gwynn Stadium to watch Strasburg's final home start for SDSU and he filed a report in an article last night entitled, "Strasburg Throws A No-Hitter". Strasburg's Line:

Strasburg - (W, 11-0), 9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 17 K's. '09 stats - 1.24 ERA, 87.1 IP, 48 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 17 BB, 164 K's. 

For The Completists, Full Game Report After The Jump...

Nationals now 9-18-1.

Washington Nationals at Arizona Diamondbacks. Game 27 or 28 of 162. 

Cristian Guzman swings through an 0-2 change from Arizona right-hander Yusmeiro Petit. Ryan Zimmerman strokes a single through short to extend his hit streak to 26 games. Adam Dunn chops a weak grounder to short, and it’s so slow D-Backs’ shortstop Josh Wilson just pockets it. Elijah Dukes hits the first pitch he sees out to right fielder Justin Upton and Yusmeiro Petit is through the top of the first...DC righty Shairon Martis gives up a double to right on a line drive by Felipe Lopez. Austin Kearns hustles over to catch a fly ball off Chris Young’s bat, Lopez to third. Justin Upton’s groundout to short scores Lopez from third, 1-0 Snakes. Mark Reynolds throws his bat at a low sinker and singles to center. Josh Whitesell sends a sharp grounder to first, but Nick Johnson handles it.

Austin Kearns grounds an 87 mph fastball to short, Josh Wilson fields and throws. Jesus Flores works a one-out walk out of Petit. Anderson Hernandez pops out to third. Shairon Martis puts bat to ball and lines a single through short. Flores to second. Cristian Guzman bounces a line drive off the bottom of the right field wall and it shoots off and files away from Justin Upton, two score, Guzman to third. 2-1 DC. Nick Johnson gets thrown out by Felipe Lopez, on a beatiful across the body throw from the grass behind second...Shairon Martis issues a leadoff walk to Conor Jackson. Miguel Montero flies out to Adam Dunn in left. Josh Wilson takes a 1-2 fastball on the outside edge. Yusmeiro Petit watches a slow bender break in for strike three. 

Ryan Zimmerman works the count full and K’s swinging over a fastball outside. Adam Dunn destroys a fastball that clears the right field wall for a solo HR. 3-1 DC. Elijah Dukes flies to center where Chris Young corrals it. Josh Wilson throws out Austin Kearns to end the DC third...Felipe Lopez chops one to short, and Guzman doesn’t bother throwing. Chris Young K's looking. Justin Upton walks to put two on for Mark Reynolds. Reynolds K’s swinging over a two-strike slider outside. Josh Whitesell pops out to left and Dunn makes the grab. 3-1 DC after three. 

Jesus Flores leads off the fourth with a long fly ball to left center and GONE, solo shot, 4-1 Nationals. Josh Whitesell dives and stabs a grounder from Anderson Hernandez and beats the runner to first. Martis spins a groundout to first for the second out. Cristian Guzman flies out to Upton in right...Conor Jackson skies out to right for Kearns to catch. Miguel Montero takes a 1-1 change outside and strokes it to center for a single. Josh Wilson tests Adam Dunn, who tracks and catches it. Chad Tracy grounds out to second in a pinch hit appearance for Petit to end the frame. 

DC’s into the bullpen. Ground ball to short from Nick "Two-Spot" Johnson and AZ reliever Leo Rosales gets Ryan Zimmerman swinging. Adam Dunn swings over a two-strike fastball outside. Rosales mows them down...Felipe Lopez singles to center off Martis, and scores from first when Chris Young triples between Elijah Dukes and Austin Kearns in deep center to make it 4-2 DC. Justin Upton and then Mark Reynolds, both swinging K's. Josh Whitesell flies out to to right where Austin Kearns’ catch ends the Arizona fifth. 

Elijah Dukes grounds out to Felipe Lopez. Austin Kearns powers a double out to center. Jesus Flores lines a full-count slider to center and scores Kearns for a 5-2 DC lead. Anderson "Elvis" Hernandez grounds to short, Josh Wilson to Whitesell to end the Nationals' sixth...Connor Jackson flies out to Dukes in center. Miguel Montero rips into a full count fastball from Shairon Martis and doubles to Dukes with one down. Josh Wilson singles off Martis, moving Montero to third, and pinch hitter Eric Byrnes singles to center to cut the DC lead to 5-3. Martis is out after 

Josh Willingham faces off against the Tallest Pitcher in MLB History, Jon Rauch, and the Hammer lines a leadoff single to left. Cristian Guzman singles to left. Nick Johnson goes the other way with a line drive out to left where Conor Jackson makes the grab going back. Ryan Zimmerman fights off a few 1-2 pitches, takes ball two, and then beats out a weak grounder to third to load the bases. Adam Dunn pops out behind second, everyone stays put. Elijah Dukes sends a dribbler to second and Felipe Lopez throws to Rauch covering to end the top of the frame...Justin Upton takes a fastball outside to right for a leadoff single. Joel Hanrahan gets Mark Reynolds swinging for the first out. Josh Whitesell doubles over Austin Kearns’ head and off the wall in right, Upton to third. Conor Jackson grounds to Zimmerman who takes the out at first, 5-4 on the Jackson RBI. Miguel Montero rips one to third, Zimmerman makes the play. 

Esmerling Vasquez takes over for Arizona, and walks Austin Kearns to start the eighth. Jesus Flores flies out to Justin Upton in right. Austin Kearns steals second with Anderson Hernandez at bat. Anderson Hernandez rolls one out to third. Pinch hitter Ronnie Belliard K’s swinging to end the Nationals’ eighth...Ryan Zimmerman charges in, fields and thrwos to first in time to get Josh Wilson. Eric Byrnes lines a single to left that drops in in front of Adam Dunn. Byrnes steals his way into scoring position at second, and then tries for third and gets thrown out by Jesus Flores, who throws from his knees. 

Tony Pena Cristian Guzman grounds out to second. Nick Johnson uses his Discerning Eye to draw a one-out walk. Ryan Zimmerman flies out to right, Upton grabs it. Adam Dunn gets called out looking at a low strike three...Who’s the closer today? Kip Wells comes on to close it. Ryan Roberts gets the pinch hit chance. Roberts flies out to Kearns in right. Justin Upton watches a two-strike fastball all the way in for the second out. Mark Reynolds K’s swinging through a full count fastball inside to end it, Wells closes it out and the Nationals win, 5-4 final. 

Nationals now 9-18-1.