Roark battles for win, Zimmerman continues home run parade

DENVER - Tanner Roark got into a tough jam in the fifth inning Wednesday night when he walked three consecutive batters.

But after throwing 104 pitches, Roark came out as the victor as the offense feasted on Rockies pitching and the bullpen held the lead for a resounding 11-4 Nationals victory.

Roark (3-0) lasted five innings, scattering five hits and allowing only two runs despite a season-high four walks. He struck out four. It was only the fourth time in his last 38 starts that he had given up more than three walks in a game.

"Well, we won, and that's all that matters," Roark said. "It was really that fifth inning that really got to me. 40-some pitches. That's a lot of pitches to throw in an inning. Guys are swinging it well, and that's the main thing."

The Rockies took advantage of those walks in the fifth to score two runs. But the biggest moment for Roark was his last out as he struck out the dangerous hitter Carlos Gonzalez with two men on.

"Obviously three walks, can't be doing that," Roark said. "But I just wanted to stay focused in there and not give up any more. Keep attacking. Keep going at guys. I didn't want to let him beat me. The ball flies here obviously. I didn't want him to hit a three-run jack to make it 5-5. I wanted to get him out, and threw the kitchen sink at him."

Offensively, there were many stars.

One such star that continues to hit and hit for power is Ryan Zimmerman. He crushed a two-run shot in a three-run fifth inning for the Nats. Zimmerman has now homered in three of his last four games and five of his last eight contests. The eight homers are the third most by Zimmerman in a single month for his career. Eleven in a month is his record set in September of 2013.

Manager Dusty Baker appreciates seeing Zimmerman get so locked in.

"You got a guy that's driving in runs and hitting the ball out of the ballpark," Baker said. "I still got to keep him fresh. It's great to see Zim having success because he was used to success. He had success before I got here. It's a beautiful thing to see him doing well. He's hitting the ball on a line. He's not missing pitches.

"He's not going after bad pitches most of the time. Man, it's great to see and everybody loves it. He invigorates a lot of life in the team, hitting behind Bryce (Harper) and in front of Bryce is (Trea) Turner and (Adam) Eaton. Then, the middle of the lineup, you have to deal with (Jayson) Werth.

"We still gotta get Anthony (Rendon) going, so we'll give Anthony a day off tomorrow, after these two days, to help him get going."

Rendon will get the day off Thursday. He is hitting .231 after going 0-for-5 Wednesday.