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SAN FRANCISCO - The Nationals and Giants are in the fourth inning, with Washington taking a 2-1 lead in a game that's featured some defensive mistakes by both teams. But Jordan Zimmermann looks like he's settling in nicely.
He struck out the side in the third inning, getting swings and misses on two sliders and a curveball for the three strikeouts, and has retired six of seven after giving up a pair of extra-base hits in the second.
The Giants have squared up several balls on Zimmermann, but the Nationals also gave them some help when Rick Ankiel misplayed an Aubrey Huff base hit, getting too close to the wall and taking himself out of position for a ricochet. Huff wound up with a triple, and scored on Nate Schierholtz's double.
But Zimmermann has thrown 32 of 44 pitches for strikes, and he's getting the Giants to chase his breaking ball. That's a good sign for the 25-year-old, who's had trouble getting batters to swing and miss this year.
He hals also dropped two perfect bunts, helping the Nationals score both of their runs. They got on the board in the third inning, after Zimmermann's sacrifice moved Laynce Nix into scoring position and Aaron Rowand misplayed Ian Desmond's single, and when the Giants tried to throw home on Zimmermann's fourth-inning bunt, they couldn't get a tag on Rick Ankiel, giving Zimmermann his third RBI.
