Early offense, landmark longball help Nats finish sweep

CINCINNATI - Most of the crowd for today's series finale matinee at Great American Ball Park hadn't even settled into their Reds-red seats yet. Perhaps they were still in line for Skyline Chili or Frisch's Big Boy burgers, trying to decide between sweet treats at the bulk candy store on the ballpark's main concourse or some of the meat treats at the Porktopia stand.

Whatever the reason, many in the announced crowd of 17,574 didn't see what happened in the first, when the Nationals continued their assault on Reds pitching, putting up a five-spot off starting pitcher Scott Feldman, who was mercifully removed after throwing what amounted to batting practice with declining velocity against a team that had already scored 29 runs and hit 10 homers in the previous three games.

Six batters into the game, Feldman hadn't retired anyone. Brian Goodwin's double and Stephen Drew's single were followed by Bryce Harper's three-run homer to right for a quick lead. On the very next pitch, Ryan Zimmerman sent a ball over the wall in left-center for his 235th career homer, breaking a tie with former Expos slugger Vladimir Guerrero and giving Zimmerman sole possession of the top spot on the franchise's all-time homer list. Then Daniel Murphy walked, went to second on a single by National League Player of the Week Anthony Rendon and advanced two bases, motoring around third base and scoring on Matt Wieters' sacrifice fly for a 5-0 advantage.

The crooked number was merely a continuation of what the Nats have done since the second half: mashing the ball and making Reds hurlers look pretty terrible. The result was a 6-1 victory, completing the first four-game sweep of the Reds in Nationals history.

"We're inching towards at least .500 on day games and increased our road record," Baker said. "Not only getaway days, but we've been flirting with sweeps quite a few times, but just don't complete that last game. We jumped them early. I think Feldman probably hurt himself, which helped us, which you hate to see. But at the same time we're trying to win as many games as we can."

Goodwin also homered for the Nats - who finished with 13 homers for the four-game series - and Stephen Strasburg worked seven strong innings. Though he allowed a solo homer to Eugenio Suárez in the second, Strasburg didn't allow another runner to reach second base. He allowed four hits, walked one and struck out 11.

Zimmerman's ascent to the top of the home run category in franchise history was inevitable. But the 86 mph sinker he crushed in the first was more than just a milestone; it was the start of a three-hit afternoon that should, for now quiet the critics that wondered if he'd be in a prolonged slump.

"I think it's special to be at one place your entire career," Zimmerman said when asked what the landmark longball meant to him. "For me, it's more about being around the same people and creating relationships, being lucky enough to be able to do that. You can't do stuff like this if you're not in the same place a long time. I feel very lucky to have spent my entire career here, honored to have hit more home runs than any Expo or National. It's cool."

Likewise, a three-hit day was a relief for Zimmerman, who had hit just .176 in his previous 15 games and had not homered since June 13. It should quiet whispers that a deep slump was in the offing. Zimmerman raised his average to .327.

"The last couple of weeks have been a grind, and I haven't really felt great," he said. "Yesterday, I started to feel better and today I felt good. I still feel not like I've felt a month or so ago, but that's part of the season and that's why we play 162 games and you have to find a way to make it through those week or twos when you don't feel that great."

A day off - Baker sat Zimmerman for Sunday's game in favor of Adam Lind, who homered and had three hits - can work wonders.

"I think he was on 19 (homers) for about a month," Baker said. "So it was good to him do that and get three hits because he's been struggling a little bit. It's hard to believe, hitting .325, .330, but it's good to see him get some hits and see him respond after a day off."

Zimmerman said it was no coincidence that the Nats used a first-inning offensive outburst to step on the collective throats of the Reds. But it's not all about completing a sweep, he pointed out.

"We got some good hitters, I think," he said. "I think we kind of push each other. We don't openly talk about it. I think we kind of openly compete against each other and each of us wants to drive runs in and do better than the other guy. Competition's good and right now we have a lot of that in the middle of our order."

Which only helps when a four-game sweep is a possibility and one of your best starting pitchers is on the hill.

"It's always nice to get out early, especially when you have the starting pitching and the guys that we have," Zimmerman said. "If you can give them a run or two, let alone five, it obviously helps them settle in. ... Yeah, anytime you can score early, it's a huge plus."

Strasburg used his usual script of using his changeup effectively and locating a fastball - even if he did have to work through the feeling that he was fighting the effects of the All-Star break in the opening couple of innings.

"I think when I threw (the changeup) right, it had good action and good results," Strasburg said. "I started just coming around it a little bit too much, in spurts. It's something I got to continually throw. It sets everything else up. (If I'm battling), I can't not just necessarily not throw it anymore."

In the seventh, after he struck out Suárez, Strasburg looked like he was troubled. Baker, thinking he was experiencing cramps from the hydration issues that have plagued him in the past, sent pitching coach Mike Maddux out to check on him. Strasburg, who said he just had a problem landing on a couple of pitches, tried to wave Maddux off to no avail.

"It shows what kind of shape Stras is in because he sweats a lot and he's usually not real, real good when it's hot," Baker said. "So you can tell he's really been working and training to deal with this heat. He was very good today."

But when you've got a 5-0 lead before you throw a pitch, a steamy 85-degree afternoon is a lot easier to weather. And by putting the hammer down early, the Nationals not only perpetuated their offensive juggernaut, but gave Strasburg some breathing room on a sweltering day.

"What it does is that it picks us up because a lot of times, there are days when you don't hit," Baker said. "It takes you four or five innings to kind of get into it, so when you're going for a sweep, it kind of deflates the opposing team again. Kind of like 'Here it goes again.' "

Or for this four-game series on the shores of the Ohio River, again and again and again and again.