LaRoche and Zimmerman continue to rake (Nats lose 13-4)

For as ice cold as Adam LaRoche was a few weeks ago, he's that scorching hot right now. LaRoche is on a 16-game hitting streak, with his seventh-inning RBI single extending that run. During those 16 games, LaRoche is hitting .382 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. His on-base percentage is .462. Yeah, that would qualify as being on fire. He's not the only one. Ryan Zimmerman is 2-for-4 with three RBIs today, and he also notched an RBI single in the seventh. Over the last 11 games, Zimmerman is batting .400 with two homers and seven RBIs. His on-base percentage is .467. This is what the Nationals envisioned when they re-signed LaRoche this offseason - him and Zimmerman raking in the middle of the lineup, terrorizing opposing pitchers. The back-to-back run-scoring knocks from Zimmerman and LaRoche made it a 7-4 game in the seventh. Ryan Mattheus is on for the Nats after Henry Rodriguez worked the most interesting scoreless inning in the history of Major League Baseball in the sixth. Rodriguez allowed three stolen bases, threw a wild pitch, walked a batter, had a fielding error by LaRoche behind him and benefited from a runner being thrown out at home. Update: The Padres have scored 12 runs and they've done all their damage in three innings. Three in the first, four in the fifth, five in the seventh. Mattheus gave up the latest batch of Padres runs, throwing 39 pitches in a long seventh inning. Four San Diego hits and two walks made it quite a rough frame for Mattheus. It's 12-4 now as we go to the eighth. Update II: Well, the good part about this game is that it's over. The Nationals fell to the Padres 13-4, and those two teams split the four-game set in San Diego. Dan Haren allowed seven runs in five innings, but the Nats' relievers weren't much better. Rodriguez, Mattheus and Drew Storen combined to allow six runs in three frames. Now it's on to San Francisco for three games against the defending World Series champs.