Nationals 5, Tigers 4
Nationals 5, Tigers 4: Ryan Zimmerman had three hits and an RBI as host Washington jumped all over Detroit starter Doug Fister and held on to complete a sweep of a rain-shortened two-game series.
Adam LaRoche was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Denard Span doubled and scored twice for the Nationals, winners of four straight and six of seven. Starter Dan Haren (4-3) gave up four runs in six innings to win his third start in a row and Rafael Soriano got Prince Fielder to fly to the warning track in center with a man on to end the ninth and pick up his 12th save.
Fister (4-1), who entered with five straight quality starts, was pounded for five runs -- four earned -- and eight hits in just three innings. He did provide an RBI single in the second to pull the Tigers within 3-1, but was pinch hit for with two outs in the fourth after throwing just 74 pitches.
Span led off the bottom of the first with a double, moved to third on a bunt single and scored the game's first run on Bryce Harper's groundout. Harper later scored when center fielder Austin Jackson booted LaRoche's single, and Ian Desmond capped the first-inning rally with a run-scoring single.
Zimmerman and LaRoche had an RBI base hit apiece in the second, giving Washington enough of a separation to absorb Matt Tuiasosopo's pinch-hit three-run homer in the sixth that made it 5-4.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington had lost all six meetings with Detroit before the two-game sweep. ... Fister's hit was the third of his career. ... The Tigers return home to host Cleveland on Friday. Washington continues its homestand against the Chicago Cubs.