Zimmerman Homers To Lift Nats; Dodgers Drop Sixth Straight

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Ryan Zimmerman blasted a homer in the seventh to lift the Washington Nationals past the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-4 at the Nationals Park Wednesday night.

Zimmerman, coming off the injured list last month, hit a 3-2 pitch over the centerfield wall in the seventh, giving Washington a 5-3 edge.

The Dodgers, trying to stop a five-game losing skid, rallied back into the game, with two outs and runners on first and third.

Casey Blake singled off reliever Saul Rivera to score Manny Ramirez, making it a one-run game in the top of the eighth inning.

Washington then brought in right-hander closer Joel Hanrahan to avert a possible comeback.

And it worked, Hanrahan recorded his sixth save of the season, after getting Matt Kemp to pop up to left field, putting an end to the rally.

Nationals starter Tim Redding (9-8) picked up a winner, allowing three solo homers on eight hits in six innings.

On the other hand, 17-time Gold Glove winner Greg Maddux (6-11) did not help in breaking the skid, allowing four runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings for Los Angeles, which remains three games behind the Diamondbacks in the NL-West.