GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: SAN DIEGO (31-23) at WASHINGTON (23-32)

NL: SAN DIEGO at WASHINGTON

<div class="pre">NL AT WASHINGTON - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: R King relieved W Abreu.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: SAN DIEGO 9
WASHINGTON 3 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR SAN DIEGO: K Kouzmanoff (.213, 2-FOR-4, RBI)</div>

 

NL: SAN DIEGO at WASHINGTON

<div class="pre">NL AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY PAUL MCANULTY (1) TO RIGHT WITH 1 OUT
IN THE 9TH OFF RAY KING SCORED KHALIL GREENE.
CURRENT SCORE: SAN DIEGO 11, WASHINGTON 3

DUE UP FOR SAN DIEGO: R BOWEN (.239, 1-FOR-3, SF, 4 RBI)</div>

 

NL: SAN DIEGO at WASHINGTON

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
SAN DIEGO 6 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 11 15 0
WASHINGTON 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 7 0 (BOT 9)

CURRENT PITCHERS: SDG - KEVIN CAMERON
WAS - RAY KING

DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: R ZIMMERMAN (.251, 1-FOR-3, RBI)
D YOUNG (.327, 1-FOR-3, HR, 2 RBI)
A KEARNS (.250, 0-FOR-3)</div>

 

NL: SAN DIEGO at WASHINGTON

<div class="pre">SAN DIEGO (11) VS WASHINGTON (3) - MID 9TH - IN PROGRESS

SAN DIEGO ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
M Giles 2b 4 1 1 1 1 1 2 .271
T Sledge lf 5 1 2 0 0 1 2 .222
A Gonzalez 1b 5 1 1 0 0 1 2 .303
M Cameron cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 3 .240
b-H Bocachica ph-cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
K Kouzmanoff 3b 5 2 2 1 0 2 1 .211
K Greene ss 5 3 4 1 0 0 0 .225
P McAnulty rf 4 3 1 3 1 1 2 .167
R Bowen c 4 0 1 4 0 0 4 .235
J Germano p 3 0 2 1 0 1 0 .333
a-G Blum ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .175
D Brocail p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
K Cameron p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 42 11 15 11 2 8 17

a-fouled out to third for J Germano in the 7th; b-lined out to center for M
Cameron in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - J Germano (1, B Traber); K Greene (16, W Abreu); R Bowen (6, W
Abreu). HR - P Mcanulty (1, 9th inning off R King 1 on, 1 Out). SF - R Bowen.
RBI - K Kouzmanoff (23), K Greene (29), P McAnulty 3 (3), R Bowen 4 (10), J
Germano (1), M Giles (21). 2-out RBI - J Germano, M Giles. Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - T Sledge 1, M Giles 1, R Bowen 1, A Gonzalez 1. Team
LOB - 7.

FIELDING: DP: 2 (K Kouzmanoff-M Giles-A Gonzalez, M Giles-K Greene-A
Gonzalez).


WASHINGTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
F Lopez 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .245
C Guzman ss 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 .323
R Zimmerman 3b 3 1 1 1 0 0 1 .251
D Young 1b 3 1 1 2 0 0 1 .327
A Kearns rf 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250
R Church lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .261
B Schneider c 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .230
N Logan cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .226
L Speigner p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Traber p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-R Langerhans ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .169
W Abreu p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-T Batista ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .235
R King p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 29 3 7 3 0 1 5

a-singled to left center for B Traber in the 6th; b-singled to right for W
Abreu in the 8th.

BATTING: 3B - C Guzman (4, J Germano). HR - D Young (5, 6th inning off J
Germano 1 on, 2 Out). RBI - R Zimmerman (28), D Young 2 (28). 2-out RBI - R
Zimmerman, D Young 2. GIDP - F Lopez 2. Team LOB - 2.


----------------------------------------------------
SAN DIEGO - 600 000 302 -- 11
WASHINGTON - 000 003 00 -- 3
----------------------------------------------------

SAN DIEGO ip h r er bb so hr era
J Germano 6 6 3 3 0 1 1 1.74
D Brocail 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.82
K Cameron 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.47

WASHINGTON ip h r er bb so hr era
L Speigner 4 7 6 6 1 3 0 9.10
B Traber 2 3 0 0 0 2 0 0.87
W Abreu 2 3 3 3 1 2 0 5.62
R King 1 2 2 2 0 1 1 6.60

IBB - P McAnulty (by W Abreu). Pitches-strikes: J Germano 86-57; D Brocail
8-6; K Cameron 13-10; L Speigner 79-49; B Traber 33-21; W Abreu 29-18; R King
18-10. Ground balls-fly balls: J Germano 13-4; D Brocail 2-1; K Cameron 2-1; L
Speigner 2-8; B Traber 2-2; W Abreu 1-3; R King 2-0. Batters faced: J Germano
23; D Brocail 3; K Cameron 3; L Speigner 21; B Traber 9; W Abreu 10; R King 5.


UMPIRES: HP--Randy Marsh. 1B--Bob Davidson. 2B--Sam Holbrook. 3B--Hunter
Wendelstedt.

Weather: 85 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 14 mph, right to left.</div>

 

NL: SAN DIEGO at WASHINGTON

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
SAN DIEGO 6 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 11 15 0
WASHINGTON 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 8 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: SDG - JUSTIN GERMANO, DOUG BROCAIL (7TH), KEVIN CAMERON (8TH) AND
ROB BOWEN

WAS - LEVALE SPEIGNER, BILLY TRABER (5TH), WINSTON
ABREU (7TH), RAY KING (9TH) AND BRIAN SCHNEIDER

HOME RUNS: SDG - PAUL MCANULTY (1) OFF RAY KING IN THE 9TH, 1 ON

WAS - DMITRI YOUNG (5) OFF JUSTIN GERMANO IN THE 6TH, 1 ON</div>

 

NL: SAN DIEGO at WASHINGTON

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
SAN DIEGO 6 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 11 15 0
WASHINGTON 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 8 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: SDG - JUSTIN GERMANO, DOUG BROCAIL (7TH), KEVIN CAMERON (8TH) AND
ROB BOWEN

WAS - LEVALE SPEIGNER, BILLY TRABER (5TH), WINSTON
ABREU (7TH), RAY KING (9TH) AND BRIAN SCHNEIDER


WP - JUSTIN GERMANO (4-0)
LP - LEVALE SPEIGNER (1-2)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: SDG - PAUL MCANULTY (1) OFF RAY KING IN THE 9TH, 1 ON

WAS - DMITRI YOUNG (5) OFF JUSTIN GERMANO IN THE 6TH, 1 ON


TIME: 2:36 ATT: 21,635

PROBABLES: SDG - DAVID WELLS (2-3, 4.74)
WAS - JASON SIMONTACCHI (2-3, 5.28)</div>

 

NL: SAN DIEGO at WASHINGTON

<div class="pre">SAN DIEGO (11) VS WASHINGTON (3) - FINAL

SAN DIEGO ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
M Giles 2b 4 1 1 1 1 1 2 .271
T Sledge lf 5 1 2 0 0 1 2 .222
A Gonzalez 1b 5 1 1 0 0 1 2 .303
M Cameron cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 3 .240
b-H Bocachica ph-cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
K Kouzmanoff 3b 5 2 2 1 0 2 1 .211
K Greene ss 5 3 4 1 0 0 0 .225
P McAnulty rf 4 3 1 3 1 1 2 .167
R Bowen c 4 0 1 4 0 0 4 .235
J Germano p 3 0 2 1 0 1 0 .333
a-G Blum ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .175
D Brocail p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
K Cameron p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 42 11 15 11 2 8 17

a-fouled out to third for J Germano in the 7th; b-lined out to center for M
Cameron in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - J Germano (1, B Traber); K Greene (16, W Abreu); R Bowen (6, W
Abreu). HR - P Mcanulty (1, 9th inning off R King 1 on, 1 Out). SF - R Bowen.
RBI - K Kouzmanoff (23), K Greene (29), P McAnulty 3 (3), R Bowen 4 (10), J
Germano (1), M Giles (21). 2-out RBI - J Germano, M Giles. Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - T Sledge 1, M Giles 1, R Bowen 1, A Gonzalez 1. Team
LOB - 7.

FIELDING: DP: 2 (K Kouzmanoff-M Giles-A Gonzalez, M Giles-K Greene-A
Gonzalez).


WASHINGTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
F Lopez 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .245
C Guzman ss 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 .323
R Zimmerman 3b 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 .250
D Young 1b 4 1 2 2 0 0 1 .331
A Kearns rf 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 .249
R Church lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .259
B Schneider c 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .230
N Logan cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .226
L Speigner p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Traber p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-R Langerhans ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .169
W Abreu p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-T Batista ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .235
R King p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 33 3 8 3 0 3 7

a-singled to left center for B Traber in the 6th; b-singled to right for W
Abreu in the 8th.

BATTING: 3B - C Guzman (4, J Germano). HR - D Young (5, 6th inning off J
Germano 1 on, 2 Out). RBI - R Zimmerman (28), D Young 2 (28). 2-out RBI - R
Zimmerman, D Young 2. GIDP - F Lopez 2. Team LOB - 3.


----------------------------------------------------
SAN DIEGO - 600 000 302 -- 11
WASHINGTON - 000 003 000 -- 3
----------------------------------------------------

SAN DIEGO ip h r er bb so hr era
J Germano (W, 4-0) 6 6 3 3 0 1 1 1.74
D Brocail 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.82
K Cameron 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0.44

WASHINGTON ip h r er bb so hr era
L Speigner (L, 1-2) 4 7 6 6 1 3 0 9.10
B Traber 2 3 0 0 0 2 0 0.87
W Abreu 2 3 3 3 1 2 0 5.62
R King 1 2 2 2 0 1 1 6.60

IBB - P McAnulty (by W Abreu). Pitches-strikes: J Germano 86-57; D Brocail
8-6; K Cameron 30-21; L Speigner 79-49; B Traber 33-21; W Abreu 29-18; R King
18-10. Ground balls-fly balls: J Germano 13-4; D Brocail 2-1; K Cameron 3-1; L
Speigner 2-8; B Traber 2-2; W Abreu 1-3; R King 2-0. Batters faced: J Germano
23; D Brocail 3; K Cameron 7; L Speigner 21; B Traber 9; W Abreu 10; R King 5.


UMPIRES: HP--Randy Marsh. 1B--Bob Davidson. 2B--Sam Holbrook. 3B--Hunter
Wendelstedt.

T--2:36. Att--21,635.
Weather: 85 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 14 mph, right to
left.</div>

 

NL: SAN DIEGO at WASHINGTON

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
SAN DIEGO 11
WASHINGTON 3 FINAL</div>

 

NL: SAN DIEGO at WASHINGTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAN DIEGO (11) AT WASHINGTON (3) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SAN DIEGO 1ST: M Giles walked. T Sledge singled to center, M Giles to
second. A Gonzalez singled to left, M Giles to third, T Sledge to second.
M Cameron struck out looking. K Kouzmanoff singled to left center, M Giles
scored, T Sledge to third, A Gonzalez to second. K Greene singled to center,
T Sledge scored, A Gonzalez to third, K Kouzmanoff to second. P McAnulty
grounded into fielder's choice to third, A Gonzalez scored, K Kouzmanoff to
third, K Greene to second. R Bowen hit sacrifice fly to left, K Kouzmanoff
scored. J Germano singled to right center, K Greene scored, P McAnulty to
third. M Giles singled to center, P McAnulty scored, J Germano to second.
T Sledge grounded out to pitcher. (6 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 6,
WASHINGTON 0.

WASHINGTON 6TH: R Langerhans hit for B Traber. R Langerhans singled to left
center. F Lopez grounded into double play, third to second to first,
R Langerhans out at second. C Guzman tripled to center. R Zimmerman singled
to center, C Guzman scored. D Young homered to right, R Zimmerman scored.
A Kearns grounded out to shortstop. (3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 6,
WASHINGTON 3.

SAN DIEGO 7TH: W Abreu relieved B Traber. M Cameron grounded out to third.
K Kouzmanoff singled to left. K Greene doubled to left, K Kouzmanoff to third.
P McAnulty intentionally walked. R Bowen doubled to right, K Kouzmanoff,
K Greene and P McAnulty scored, R Bowen to third advancing on throw. G Blum hit
for J Germano. G Blum fouled out to third. M Giles struck out swinging.
(3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 9, WASHINGTON 3.

SAN DIEGO 9TH: R King relieved W Abreu. K Kouzmanoff struck out swinging.
K Greene singled to left. P McAnulty homered to right, K Greene scored.
R Bowen grounded out to shortstop. K Cameron grounded out to shortstop. (2 Runs,
2 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 11, WASHINGTON 3.</div>

 

NL: SAN DIEGO at WASHINGTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAN DIEGO (11) AT WASHINGTON (3) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

San Diego Starting Lineups -- M Giles 2B, T Sledge LF, A Gonzalez 1B,
M Cameron CF, K Kouzmanoff 3B, K Greene SS, P McAnulty RF, R Bowen C,
J Germano RHP.

Washington Starting Lineups -- F Lopez 2B, C Guzman SS, R Zimmerman 3B,
D Young 1B, A Kearns RF, R Church LF, B Schneider C, N Logan CF, L Speigner RHP.

Umpires -- Randy Marsh (HP), Bob Davidson (1B), Sam Holbrook (2B),
Hunter Wendelstedt (3B).

Gametime Weather: 85 degrees, Cloudy, wind right to left at 14 mph.


SAN DIEGO 1ST: M Giles walked. T Sledge singled to center, M Giles to
second. A Gonzalez singled to left, M Giles to third, T Sledge to second.
M Cameron struck out looking. K Kouzmanoff singled to left center, M Giles
scored, T Sledge to third, A Gonzalez to second. K Greene singled to center,
T Sledge scored, A Gonzalez to third, K Kouzmanoff to second. P McAnulty
grounded into fielder's choice to third, A Gonzalez scored, K Kouzmanoff to
third, K Greene to second. R Bowen hit sacrifice fly to left, K Kouzmanoff
scored. J Germano singled to right center, K Greene scored, P McAnulty to
third. M Giles singled to center, P McAnulty scored, J Germano to second.
T Sledge grounded out to pitcher. (6 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 6,
WASHINGTON 0.

WASHINGTON 1ST: F Lopez grounded out to second. C Guzman singled to left.
R Zimmerman grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, C Guzman out at
second. D Young grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 6,
WASHINGTON 0.

SAN DIEGO 2ND: A Gonzalez struck out swinging. M Cameron flied out to
right. K Kouzmanoff flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 6,
WASHINGTON 0.

WASHINGTON 2ND: A Kearns struck out swinging. R Church flied out to left.
B Schneider singled to left. N Logan flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 6, WASHINGTON 0.

SAN DIEGO 3RD: K Greene lined out to pitcher. P McAnulty flied out to
right. R Bowen fouled out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 6,
WASHINGTON 0.

WASHINGTON 3RD: L Speigner grounded out to shortstop. F Lopez lined out to
left. C Guzman grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 6,
WASHINGTON 0.

SAN DIEGO 4TH: J Germano struck out swinging. M Giles flied out to left.
T Sledge singled to right center. A Gonzalez flied out to center. (0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 6, WASHINGTON 0.

WASHINGTON 4TH: R Zimmerman grounded out to shortstop. D Young grounded
out to second. A Kearns grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
SAN DIEGO 6, WASHINGTON 0.

SAN DIEGO 5TH: B Traber relieved L Speigner. M Cameron singled to center.
K Kouzmanoff struck out swinging. K Greene singled to center, M Cameron to
second. P McAnulty struck out looking. R Bowen lined out to right. (0 Runs,
2 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 6, WASHINGTON 0.

WASHINGTON 5TH: R Church grounded out to second. B Schneider lined out to
shortstop. N Logan grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
SAN DIEGO 6, WASHINGTON 0.

SAN DIEGO 6TH: J Germano doubled to deep left. M Giles flied out to right.
T Sledge grounded out to first, J Germano to third. A Gonzalez grounded out
to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 6, WASHINGTON 0.

WASHINGTON 6TH: R Langerhans hit for B Traber. R Langerhans singled to
left center. F Lopez grounded into double play, third to second to first,
R Langerhans out at second. C Guzman tripled to center. R Zimmerman singled
to center, C Guzman scored. D Young homered to right, R Zimmerman scored.
A Kearns grounded out to shortstop. (3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 6,
WASHINGTON 3.

SAN DIEGO 7TH: W Abreu relieved B Traber. M Cameron grounded out to third.
K Kouzmanoff singled to left. K Greene doubled to left, K Kouzmanoff to third.
P McAnulty intentionally walked. R Bowen doubled to right, K Kouzmanoff,
K Greene and P McAnulty scored, R Bowen to third advancing on throw. G Blum
hit for J Germano. G Blum fouled out to third. M Giles struck out swinging.
(3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 9, WASHINGTON 3.

WASHINGTON 7TH: D Brocail relieved J Germano. R Church grounded out to
first. B Schneider popped out to third. N Logan bunt grounded out to pitcher.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 9, WASHINGTON 3.

SAN DIEGO 8TH: T Sledge struck out looking. A Gonzalez flied out to
center. H Bocachica hit for M Cameron. H Bocachica lined out to center.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 9, WASHINGTON 3.

WASHINGTON 8TH: H Bocachica in center field. K Cameron relieved D Brocail.
T Batista hit for W Abreu. T Batista singled to right. F Lopez grounded into
double play, second to shortstop to first, T Batista out at second. C Guzman
fouled out to third. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 9, WASHINGTON 3.

SAN DIEGO 9TH: R King relieved W Abreu. K Kouzmanoff struck out swinging.
K Greene singled to left. P McAnulty homered to right, K Greene scored.
R Bowen grounded out to shortstop. K Cameron grounded out to shortstop. (2 Runs,
2 Hits, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 11, WASHINGTON 3.

WASHINGTON 9TH: R Zimmerman grounded out to third. D Young singled to
center. A Kearns struck out looking. R Church struck out swinging. (0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) SAN DIEGO 11, WASHINGTON 3.</div>

 

Bowen's career-high four RBI carries Padres past Nationals

<h3>SAN DIEGO 11, WASHINGTON 3</h3>WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Rob Bowen collected a career-high fourRBI as the San Diego Padres coasted to an 11-3 victory over theWashington Nationals on Saturday night.

Bowen hit a sacrifice fly during a six-run first inning andbelted a three-run double in the seventh that forged acomfortable 9-3 lead.

The Padres scored six runs in the first inning againstWashington starter Levale Speigner (1-2).

After Marcus Giles drew a leadoff walk, Terrmel Sledge andAdrian Gonzalez singled. Both hits appeared to be routine popupsto the outfield, but Sledge's dropped in front of centerfielder Nook Logan, who quit on the play, and Gonzalez's fellbetween shortstop Cristian Guzman and left fielder Ryan Church.

With one out, rookie Kevin Kouzmanoff and Khalil Greene recordedRBI singles for a 2-0 lead. Paul McAnulty then reached on anRBI fielder's choice when Ryan Zimmerman made a diving stab butcould not convert a forceout at second base.

After Bowen collected his first RBI of the game on a sacrificefly to left, Padres starter Justin Germano and Giles deliveredrun-scoring singles to cap the six-run frame.

Germano (4-0) allowed three runs on six hits in six innings,picking up his fourth straight win. He only surrendered twohits through the first five frames.

In the sixth, pinch hitter Ryan Langerhans led off with a singleto left before Felipe Lopez bounced into a double play. Guzmanfollowed with a triple off the center field wall and scored onan RBI single up the middle by Zimmerman.

Dmitri Young then homered to the mezzanine section in rightfield to pull the Nationals to 6-3. It was Young's fifth blastof the season.

Bowen stroked a three-run double to right that scoredKouzmanoff, Greene and McAnulty to give the Padres a 9-3 lead inthe seventh. McAnulty added a two-run homer, his first of theseason, in the ninth to cap the scoring.

Speigner gave up six runs on seven hits with three strikeouts infour innings.

 

Germano, Bowen carry Padres past Nationals

<h3>SAN DIEGO 11, WASHINGTON 3</h3>WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Justin Germano likely cemented his spotin the San Diego Padres' starting rotation

Germano won his fourth straight start and collected his firstcareer hit as the Padres coasted to an 11-3 victory over theWashington Nationals on Saturday night.

"I think that he's proven to himself in his starts that he'sdeserving to be in the rotation," Padres manager Bud Black said."At this point, I don't think we need to make any changes inthe immediate future. He knows what's happening. This is aperformance game and he's performing."

Germano, who added a double in the sixth, allowed three runs onsix hits in six innings. He went 4-0 with a lowly 1.59 ERA infive starts prior to being called up May from Class AAA Portlandin place of injured Clay Hensley.

"I think he feels as though he belongs in a major-leagueuniform," Black said. "He's a confident young pitcher makingpitches."

The 24-year-old Germano confirmed that sentiment.

"I was talking to my girlfriend last night about how it justfeels like it's any other game up here," he said. "My firststint up here, even in the games I wasn't pitching, I was juststill in awe of the whole atmosphere up here - the stadiums andthe crowds. But now it's just starting to feel like it's justanother game and that's helping my confidence level.

"Stuff-wise I felt like was the best night of all my starts,"Germano added. "I was able to throw all my pitches for strikespretty much whenever I wanted. I was happy with all mypitches."

Well, all but one that Washington first baseman Dmitri Youngblasted into the mezzanine section of right-center field,pulling the Nationals to 6-3 in the sixth inning.

"The home run wasn't that bad of a pitch," Germano said. "It wasup a little bit but location-wise it was away where I wantedit, but it was sky-high instead of being down at the knees. Tipyour hat to him. That ball was crushed."

Germano, however, was the first pitcher in three nights to denyYoung from getting a hit. Young had hit safely in afranchise-record eight consecutive at-bats before Germanocovered the bag and took a throw from first baseman AdrianGonzalez to retire Young in the first inning. Germano also gothis glove on Young's comebacker in the fourth and second basemanMarcus Giles completed the 1-4-3 putout.

"When I first got called up, I knew it was just for a couplestarts, so I just wanted to do well and build my confidence upwith each start and that's what I've been able to do," Germanosaid. "It's still early, but I definitely feel like I earned aspot to stay up here for a little bit. I'm not saying off offive starts that I should be locked in, but I definitely amhappy about the way that I've been pitching since I've been up."

Catcher Rob Bowen was also huge for the Padres, collecting acareer-high four RBI.

"The first at-bat I was just trying to get a ball in the air tothe outfield and get one guy in," Bowen said. "Same thing withthe bases loaded, I'm just trying to get a pitch I can drive outthere and fortunately I hit it right down the first base-lineand scored a couple of guys."

The Padres scored six runs in the first inning against starterLevale Speigner (1-2). After Giles drew a leadoff walk, TerrmelSledge and Gonzalez singled.

Both hits appeared to be routine popups to the outfield asSledge's dropped in front of Nationals center fielder Nook Loganand Gonzalez's hit fell between shortstop Cristian Guzman andleft fielder Ryan Church.

"The guy took a big swing and hit it off the end of the bat,"Logan said. "If I would have frozen instead of taking a stepback I could've got to it, but if he hit it off the barrel withthat swing that ball's off the wall somewhere. That's guy's gotpop. When a guy with power takes a swing like that, your firstmove is to go back."

"If those two plays would have went different, it might havebeen a better game," Logan added.

Kevin Kouzmanoff and Khalil Greene followed with RBI singles.Paul McAnulty then reached on an RBI fielder's choice whenNationals third baseman Zimmerman made a diving stab but couldnot convert a forceout at second.

After Bowen lofted a sacrifice fly to left, Germano and Gilesdelivered RBI singles for a 6-0 lead. All but three San Diegostarters had an RBI in the inning.

"I can't remember too many (big innings) that we've had all yearso it definitely was the exception to the rule, but it's niceany time you can get out to a big lead. But even better thanthat, I think, was being able to come back and score some runsafter they scored some runs."

The Nationals managed only two hits off Germano in the firstfive innings.

Pinch hitter Ryan Langerhans led off with a single to leftbefore Felipe Lopez bounced into a double play. Guzman followedwith a triple off the center-field wall and scored on anrun-scoring single up the middle by Zimmerman. Young followedwith his fifth home run of the season.

"We did a great job of holding them after that first inning togive us a chance to come back," Zimmerman said. "We're proud ofthe way we battled back and the way that Speigner hung in thereand kept it close. After six runs in the first inning if youhave a chance late, I think that's pretty good."

Bowen's three-run double scored Kouzmanoff, Greene and McAnultyto give the Padres a 9-3 lead in the seventh and McAnulty hit atwo-run homer - his first of the season - in the ninth to capthe scoring.

Speigner allowed six runs on seven hits in four innings. Hestruck out three and walked one.

"You feel bad because that's the way it's been all season for(Speigner)," Zimmerman said. "He's pitched pretty well and justhad some bad luck, but that's part of the game. He battledthrough it and stayed out there and went strong for a few moreinnings."