Nationals 5, Diamondbacks 4
WASHINGTON -- Wilson Ramos had a two-run bloop single to right field to break a tie with one out in the eighth inning as the Washington Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 on Tuesday.
The catcher had two hits one night after he snapped an 0-for-17 skid with a single in the ninth inning. His hit against reliever David Hernandez (0-2) on Tuesday drove in first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and left fielder Jayson Werth, whose double sent Zimmerman to third.
Washington (55-50) snapped a four-game losing streak while Arizona (51-54) lost for just the fourth time in 12 games. The Nationals remain one game back of the first-place New York Mets, who won 5-1 at Miami on Tuesday.
Washington's Jonathan Papelbon got the save -- his first at home with his new team -- as he eventually set down Arizona in the ninth after allowing a leadoff single. Arizona scored an unearned run on a throwing error by third baseman Yunel Escobar with two outs to make it 5-4 but Papelbon got Cliff Pennington for the final out on a comebacker to the mound.
Nationals starter Max Scherzer, who was not involved in the decision, went six innings and allowed three runs and four hits with nine strikeouts while throwing 114 pitches.
He was lifted with two outs in the sixth for pinch-hitter Dan Uggla, who flew out deep to left. Scherzer went over the 1,500 career strikeout in the game. He has 181 strikeouts this season in 22 starts and 1502 in his career in 220 starts.
Washington reliever Casey Janssen threw a scoreless seventh and Drew Storen (2-0) pitched a perfect eighth.
Arizona reliever Josh Collmenter allowed just one hit and no runs in 3 2/3 innings in relief of starter Patrick Corbin, who did not figure in the decision. Arizona reliever Andrew Chafin threw a scoreless sixth and seventh before Hernandez came on to start the eighth.
Escobar also had two hits, including a homer, for the Nationals and third baseman Jake Lamb had two hits for Arizona.
Arizona slugging first baseman Paul Goldschmidt struck out in each of his four at-bats. Washington shortstop Ian Desmond struck out three times and grounded out in the eighth before Ramos came through with his game-winner.
The Nationals scored three runs in the first inning Tuesday after tallying four runs in the bottom of the ninth Monday in a 6-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Washington got a leadoff homer from third baseman Yunel Escobar, his second leadoff blast of the year and the sixth of the season for the Nationals. It was the seventh homer of the season for Escobar, matching the number he hit for Tampa Bay last year.
Later in the inning, first baseman Ryan Zimmerman hit an RBI single and left fielder Jayson Werth drove in a run with a fielder's choice. Diamondbacks left-hander Patrick Corbin escaped further damage by retiring Scherzer for the final out with the bases loaded.
Corbin was lifted with two on and one out in the second, and reliever Josh Collmenter came on to induce a double-play grounder off the bat of Zimmerman to end the threat. Corbin allowed six hits and three runs in 1 1/3 innings, and nine of the 12 batters he faced reached base.
Arizona tied the game with three runs in the fourth off Scherzer. Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit an RBI single, and second baseman Chris Owings drove in two runs with a double down the left field line to make it 3-3.
NOTES: The start of the game was delayed 30 minutes by threatening weather, though the tarp was not put on the field. ... Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez (8-4, 3.75 ERA) will start Wednesday against Arizona RHP Rubby De La Rosa (8-5, 4.59). ... The Nationals entered Tuesday with a team batting average of .248, fourth worst in the National League. The Washington lineup included three players with a batting average below .220: SS Ian Desmond (.217), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.211) and LF Jayson Werth (.203). ... The Nationals went 20-5 from late April to late May but in all other games were 35-45 through Tuesday. ... Arizona has a 25-27 road record and eight wins in the last 12 games. ... The Diamondbacks had a team average of .262 through Monday, third best in the league.