Harper, Zimmerman and Robinson put on show in middle of lineup, Nats win 6-1

For the second night in a row, the Nationals offense was ignited with Bryce Harper on first base and Ryan Zimmerman at the plate.

On Friday night, Harper reached first base on single in the fourth. Zimmerman followed with a double, and Harper scored all the way from first base.

Saturday night in the fifth, Harper was on first base thanks to a walk. Zimmerman slammed a double off the wall, and again Harper raced all the way from first base for another run.

"I think I had a pretty good read on it," Harper said. "Definitely, I shuffled right there, I was thinking I could score. So went over his head, came off the wall and he was sending me. Worked out. Got that RBI for Z."

It is a combination that could lead to something big offensively for the Nationals. If they can start to generate runs from 3-4-5 where good teams find their offense, the Nationals will have a chance to get back the momentum they enjoyed in May and June.

Zimmerman said having the speed of Harper in front of him makes it possible for a run to score if he can put good wood on the ball.

"Yeah, absolutely," Zimmerman said. "Bunch of guys at the top of the lineup too have been getting on. They don't pitch to Harp much, but you can't blame them for that. He hustles balls in the gap and takes the extra base, and that's huge having guys in scoring position."

Zimmerman finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. He now has earned at least one RBI in six straight games. He also has recorded six hits and three doubles in that span.

"I feel good," Zimmerman said. "I'm just trying to have good at-bats. I think since I've come back, my timing's been pretty good. Just hitting the ball hard. Even my outs have been hard. I'm not swinging at balls, I'm walking a good amount. The guys in front of me are getting on base and giving me opportunities to drive in runs, which is what I'm supposed to do."

Harper extended his hitting streak to eight games with two singles. The second single in the seventh inning was a line shot that almost went over the bullpen wall in right field. Harper said he wasn't upset that it wasn't a homer, but he did hope for more than just one base.

"I think I was little more upset then, not really caring about the homer, more upset about not getting two on that," Harper said. "So that was the only thing going through my head right there."

The Nationals recorded 11 hits against Rockies pitching Saturday in the 6-1 win over the Rockies. The Nationals also received six walks. Colorado has allowed 12 walks so far in the series, three to Harper and one to Zimmerman.

Add the No. 5 hole hitter Clint Robinson to this equation and the numbers add up: The trio combined for five hits, three runs and two RBI in the win.

"I think we played very well tonight," Harper said. "That's what we can do on a daily basis if we go out there with that mentality. So just going to keep playing like that, keep having fun and enjoying the game."