Zimmerman inching up home run leaderboard (Nats win 3-0)

SAN FRANCISCO - Ryan Zimmerman's ascent up the franchise home run leaderboard took a brief hiatus, but he's back at it this afternoon in the opener of the Nationals' long West Coast trip.

Zimmerman launched a solo homer to left-center to lead off the top of the second and stake the Nationals to an early lead against the Giants. His 420-foot moonshot off left-hander Matt Moore was his 14th of the season, one behind club leader Bryce Harper.

That blast ended a power drought for Zimmerman, who went 23 days between homers after launching 13 in the season's first month-plus.

Nonetheless, Zimmerman (who has 229 career home runs) is inching closer to a couple of baseball legends on the all-time list.

First up will be Vladimir Guerrero, who holds the Expos/Nationals franchise record with 234 homers. After that will be Frank Howard, who holds the Washington baseball record with 237 homers.

Zimmerman's solo homer has represented the entirety of the Nationals' offense so far today. They did load the bases after that in the top of the second but left them loaded when Tanner Roark struck out and Trea Turner grounded out. Moore has faced the minimum since then.

Roark, however, has made that one run hold up through four innings. The right-hander, coming off a dominant performance last week against the Mariners, has posted four consecutive zeroes to start this one, aided in part by Matt Wieters throwing out two would-be basestealers.

Update: Roark has pitched well, but the Nats really wanted to give him some insurance. They did just that in the top of the sixth when Zimmerman singled and then Daniel Murphy launched a double off the wall in right field. Zimmerman might have been out at the plate, but Justin Ruggiano's throw sailed past the cutoff man and that allowed him to cross the plate with ease. So it's 2-0 Nationals as Roark carries his shutout into the bottom of the sixth.

Update II: Wow, the storyline of this game just took a major turn. Hunter Strickland drilled Bryce Harper with a first-pitch fastball in the eighth. It was the first time the two had met since Harper homered twice in the 2014 playoffs, and the intent sure looked clear. Harper wasted no time, charging the mound, throwing his helmet and then landing punches as both benches spilled onto the field. It was a major fight by baseball standards, and it was ugly. Both Harper and Strickland were ejected. Anyways, it's now 3-0 Nats in the eighth, but that almost feels secondary at this point.

Update III: The game is over. The Nats won 3-0 after Shawn Kelley escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and Koda Glover pitched the ninth. We'll get all the actual game stuff later, but the immediate story (understandably) is about Harper and Strickland.