Washington Nationals’ lineup for 2nd of 2 with the LA Angels + Ryan Zimmerman on friendly competition...

Ryan Zimmerman gets to talk to members of the opposing teams all the time, when they get to first base, and he told MASN’s Dan Kolko after the Washington Nationals’ four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, that, “... it’s fun to listen to the other team talk about our lineup right now.”

Washington outscored the Reds 35-12 in Great American Ball Park, and the Nationals connected for 13 home runs in those four games, the second-most homers in a four-game series this season, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 15 home runs in four games against the New York Mets in mid-June.

Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, and Adam Lind hit home runs in the series opener in Anaheim last night, to give the Nationals 16 HRs in five games coming out of the All-Star Break.

Zimmerman told reporters before last night’s win that there is definitely something of a friendly competition among Nationals’ teammates.

“We’ve got some good hitters, I think,” Zimmerman said. “I think we kind of push each other and even though we don’t openly talk about it I think we kind of compete every day against each other, and each of us wants to drive runs in and do better than the other guy.

“Competition is good, and right now we have a lot of that in the middle of our order.”

Washington’s offense starts the night second in the majors in AVG (.270), second in OBP (.347), second in SLG (.477), second in wOBA (.347), wRC+ (111), runs scored (525), third in home runs (144), second in hits (916), and second in RBIs (511).

They’re going for their seventh straight win overall in the second of two with the Angels tonight.

HERE’S THE NATS’ LINEUP FOR TONIGHT’S MATCHUP WITH THE ANGELS: