Game 73: Nats at Rockies

US Presswire file photo

Jordan Zimmermann hopes to get plenty of run support tonight at Coors Field.

After a record-setting offensive performance last night, do the Nationals enter tonight's game with any positive momentum? Well, the old baseball adage insists that "momentum is only as good as tomorrow's starting pitcher." So who are tonight's starting pitchers?

For the Nationals, it's Jordan Zimmermann, owner of a 2.89 ERA and 12 quality starts in 14 tries this season. And for the Rockies, it's Edwar Cabrera, 24-year-old left-hander making his big-league debut after 15 starts at Class AA. We shall see how that matchup works out.

Couple of changes to Davey Johnson's lineup: Adam LaRoche (who clubbed two homers last night) gets the day off. Tyler Moore will move to first base, with Mark DeRosa starting in left field. Jhonatan Solano gets the nod behind the plate. Marco Scutaro, meanwhile, is back in Colorado's lineup two nights after getting drilled in the head by a Stephen Strasburg fastball.

As you know, I'm not in Denver for this series, but I'll try to chime in with some thoughts along the way. And as always, the comments section is open for business...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 8:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 188
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 84 degrees, Wind 8 mph out to CF

NATIONALS (42-30)
2B Danny Espinosa
CF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Michael Morse
SS Ian Desmond
LF Mark DeRosa
1B Tyler Moore
C Jhonatan Solano
RHP Jordan Zimmermann

ROCKIES (28-45)
CF Dexter Fowler
SS Marco Scutaro
LF Carlos Gonzalez
1B Michael Cuddyer
RF Tyler Colvin
3B Jordan Pacheco
2B Chris Nelson
C Wilin Rosario
LHP Edwar Cabrera

UMPIRES
HP Ed Hickox, 1B Mark Carlson, 2B Angel Hernandez (cc), 3B Chris Conroy

9:15 p.m. -- Good evening, everyone. Looks like the Nats lineup is picking up right where it left off last night, huh? They scored one run in the top of the first on Bryce Harper's single, stolen base/error and Ryan Zimmerman's RBI groundout. Then then added three more in the top of the second on yet another Tyler Moore homer and then a Danny Espinosa RBI single that scored "The Onion," aka Jhonatan Solano. It's 4-0 already, and I'll tell you what: I think Tyler Moore is gonna make it after all. (And ... cue the hat toss.)

9:42 p.m. -- Barkeep, another round of cortisone shots for me and all my friends! Zimmerman does it again, and he's now 8-for-14 with two homers and two doubles since having that giant needle stuck in his right shoulder. And then Ian Desmond does it again, his 12th homer of the season. Edwar Cabrera's big-league debut is done after 2 1/3 innings, and the Nats still aren't done hitting as Solano ropes another double. It's 8-0 in the middle of the third, folks. Over his last 26 innings spanning four starts, Jordan Zimmermann got nine total runs of support. In his first three innings tonight, he's already got eight.

10:07 p.m. -- Just another ho-hum, RBI double off the right-field wall for Ryan Zimmerman to make it 9-1 in the fourth. In less than 3 1/2 games, Zim has raised his slugging percentage from .305 to .356. That's 51 points. FIFTY-ONE POINTS IN LESS THAN 3 1/2 GAMES!

11:00 p.m. -- It'll get overlooked because of all the early offense tonight, but Jordan Zimmermann's seven innings of one-run ball -- in that park -- was an impressive feat. That's his 13th quality start in 15 tries, and he's completed at least six innings in all 15 games. Good stuff.

11:46 p.m. -- And this game is over. It turned a bit ragged late, with Chien-Ming Wang and Michael Gonzalez laboring through the eighth and ninth innings. But those are small quibbles in an otherwise stellar all-around performance by the Nationals, who win 11-5. They'll try to make it three in a row tomorrow at 3:05 p.m. EDT.