Instant analysis: Nats 3, D'backs 2

Associated Press

Jordan Zimmermann allowed two early runs and earned his NL-leading 11th win.

Game in a nutshell: Some early offensive fireworks by each team probably surprised everyone in attendance, but pitching quickly took over after that. Jordan Zimmermann allowed two runs in the top of the first, then put up six consecutive zeroes in his latest dominant start at home. The Nationals chipped away at Wade Miley, getting a run in the first on Ryan Zimmerman's RBI double, a run in the fourth on Tyler Moore's solo homer and the go-ahead run in the fifth when Denard Span and Anthony Rendon singled and Span scored on Zimmerman's double-play grounder. Tyler Clippard tossed a scoreless eighth and Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth to earn his 21st save, give Zimmermann his 11th win and get the Nationals back over the .500 mark, with a chance to sweep the series tomorrow afternoon.

Hitting highlight: He's impressed nearly every game he's played over the last three weeks, but Rendon really stood out in this one. The rookie second baseman had hits in his first three at-bats, a pair of singles to center field and a double to right. He continues to hit the ball up the middle and to the opposite field, showing uncommon maturity for such an inexperienced hitter. Rendon is now batting a staggering .392 (29-for-74) in 18 games since his recall from Class AAA Syracuse. He's recorded multiple hits in 10 of those games. Davey Johnson said earlier in the day he'll face a tough decision once Bryce Harper returns from the DL: Who to bat second, Rendon or Jayson Werth? The way Rendon is going, is there really a question here?

Pitching highlight: The way his evening began, you might have been tempted to worry that Zimmermann was in for some trouble. You should know better by now than to doubt the right-hander, who quickly righted the ship after a two-run first inning and cruised the rest of the night. Zimmermann did what any ace should do: Minimize the damage and keep giving your teammates a chance to come back. He did that flawlessly, allowing only one single and one walk over his final six innings. He departed after the seventh, having thrown 102 pitches and now in line for the win thanks to the Nationals' run support. And by night's end, Zimmermann was rewarded with his 11th victory, tops in the NL and tied for the MLB lead.

Key stat: Zimmermann has yet to allow more than two earned runs in any of his nine starts at Nationals Park this season.

Up next: The series concludes with a stellar pitching matchup Thursday at 4:05 p.m. Stephen Strasburg goes up against left-hander Patrick Corbin, who is seeking to improve to 10-0.