Zimmerman on 4-for-4 night: "I felt good for awhile"

It was in a loss, but Ryan Zimmerman demonstrated again that he is coming around at the plate. Zimmerman went 4-for-4 with two singles, two homers and three RBIs in the Nationals' 9-4 setback to the Cardinals.

Zimmerman has hit .387 (12-for-31) with five homers, six runs and eight RBIs the past eight games.

"It felt good. Any time you do that, it always feels good," Zimmerman said. "You wish can do it in a win. For me, I just got to keep going, keep working like I always do. By the end of the year, like I always say, numbers will be where they're supposed to be."

The four hits in a game match a season high and a career high for Zimmerman.

"It was great to see Zim swinging the bat in the middle of the order. That's huge for us," said manager Dusty Baker. "And it's huge for him and his confidence. He hit two home runs, sandwiched between two singles. That shows he wasn't just trying to hit home runs. He was trying to make good, solid contact. Definitely encouraged by that."

Bryce Harper crushed a solo homer over the center field wall. He has noticed that Zimmerman has hit the ball hard most of the season, but early on it was right at people.

"I think he's hit great all year," Harper said. "I think he's lined out a million times to a guy that's been in left field for 100 years, guy that's been in center for 100 years and a guy that's been at second base for 100 years. It's definitely tough to hit them where they ain't. He's been doing that lately.

"They can't catch them in the seats. If he keeps doing that, I think he should be just fine."

Does Zimmerman feel like he's been more aggressive at the plate?

"I feel like I've been having good at-bats," Zimmerman said. "I have been hitting the ball well, just not haven't really had much to show for it - not every time, obviously. I haven't gotten much to show for what I feel like I've been doing. I'm used to it. You just got to keep going, feel like I always kind of do this. I wish one year I could be just fine from the beginning of the year, but I guess not."

Zimmerman is the first to admit that he feels like he gets into a better rhythm at the plate during the warmer months.

"It's easy to say that after tonight, but I felt good for awhile," Zimmerman said. "I've had some good at-bats and some bad at-bats. But it's a long season and it's just now almost June and still got a long ways to go."

But this is the first year Baker has been a part of a Zimmerman season in the home team's dugout.

"You guys know that streakiness better than me," Baker said. "I haven't seen that streakiness from this side, I've seen it from the other side. It appears that he is on the attack. He's not taking as much."