Nationals 2, @Braves 0: On the heels of his 1-hit, 1-0 shutout of the Reds, Jordan Zimmermann stiffed Atlanta for 8 innings on 2 hits, a single by Justin Upton in the 1st and a double in the 3rd by Paul Maholm.

As in the last game, his mound foe was nearly as sharp, yielding just 3 hits in his own 8 stanzas. Ian Desmond, starting in the cleanup spot for the first time ever, timed a slow curve and took it out in the 4th, after an 8-pitch walk by Bryce Harper (who would leave the game 2 innings later). The Braves had hitter’s counts early, and Zimmermann used 23 pitches on just 3 batters in the 2nd. But they couldn’t exploit those advantages, and the righty got stronger and smoother as the game progressed, airing the side in the 5th and breezing through the 6th-8th on 30 pitches. He set down his last 17 after Maholm’s hit.

• The dinger was Desmond’s 16th extra-base hit (tied for 2nd in the NL) but produced his first multi-RBI game. He’s 1 for 17 with RISP, but 8 for 20 with a man on 1st only.
• Zimmermann is the first in MLB with consecutive starts of 8+ IP and 2 hits or less since Matt Harrison last August, and the first Nat/Expo since Floyd Youmans in 1986 (including a 1-hit loss).
• Second game this year with 3 hits or less by both sides.
• Bravos blanked in half of their 10 losses.
• Harper day-to-day with a rib issue.

@Cubs 6, Padres 2: After rapping a season-high 17 hits Tuesday, the Friars turned meek again, as Scott Feldman notched a career-best 12 Ks and his first complete game. Feldman allowed 3 hits, a single in the 1st and solo HRs in the 8th and 9th, and walked 1. He retired 18 straight after the single, snapped by an error, and fanned 6 in a row in the 3rd-4th (10 pitches in the 3rd, 16 in the 4th). He even tagged his 2nd career double and RBI.

• In 105 prior starts, Feldman had gone 8 IP three times but had never thrown a pitch in the 9th.
• He had 12 Ks total in 4 prior starts this year.
• 2nd CG by a Cub since since the start of 2012.

Angels 5, @A’s 4: Trout and Trumbo homered in the 6th off Tommy Milone to break a tie, and Ernesto Frieri navigated a 5-out save despite 3 walks and a HBP.

• Fourth loss this year (2nd by A’s) when drawing 8+ walks in regulation.

Pirates 6, @Brewers 4: John Axford has not had his put-away pitch this year. His 8th started with 4-2 lead, and then: 0-and-2 single, 1-1 HR (tied), 0-1 single, 1-2 whiff, 1-0 popout, steal, 1-2 RBI single+error, 0-2 RBI single, 3-2 lineout. Hitters with 2 strikes are 9 for 29 off Axford this year, with 2 HRs; those behind in the count are 8 for 17.

Twins 6, @Tigers 2: Coming off his 17-K outing, Anibal Sanchez fanned 5 in the first 2 frames, but allowed 3 two-out runs. He ran full counts to the first 5 batters and threw 40 pitches in the 1st inning. Detroit came within a run in the 6th, but Scott Diamond got Prince and V-Mart on grounders with Miggy on 2nd. Minnesota roughed up the rookie Rondon in the 7th (2 hard hits and 2 quick walks) to pull away.

@Indians 6, Phillies 0: Cliff Lee faced his first team for the first time, and they beat him with small ball: A run in the 2nd on a walk, a first-to-third single and a sac fly; three in the 3rd with 3 infield singles and one loud hit. Meanwhile, Trevor Bauer continued his unhittable, unwatchable ways, issuing leadoff walks in 4 of his 5 innings and 6 overall, but allowing just 2 singles.

• Bauer this season: 2 starts, 10 innings, 4 hits, 13 walks.
• No HRs for Ryan Raburn, but 4 hits made him 11 for 13 in the last 3 games, 9 RBI.
• 4th shutout against the Phils, tied for 2nd-most, and 7th blowout loss.

Red Sox 10, @Blue Jays 1: No runs in 7 IP for Clay Buchholz, who’s won all 6 starts and allowed 5 runs total. Mike Napoli broke free of his little rut with 2 HRs and his 14th double, reaching 31 RBI on 31 hits in 27 games. David Ortiz doubled in the 6th and has 2+ total bases in 10 straight games (his whole season). Boston iced it with 4 in the 7th, starting with 2 outs and none on, finishing with Napoli connecting on 3-0 after an IBB to Papi.

• Last to start the year with 6 wins at 7+ IP and 2 R or less: 1991, Roger Clemens (his 3rd Cy Young season)
• On 3-0, Napoli is 7 for 15 with 5 HRs in his career.
• Stephen Drew struck first with a 2-run jack in the 2nd, adding 2 singles. After a 5 for 42 start, he has a modest 4-game hit streak.

Mets 7, @Marlins 6: Jordany Valdespin’s pinch-hit 3-run crank off fresh reliever A.J. Ramos helped New York jump the broom. The Mets actually held onto a lead after 7 innings, and snapped losing streaks of 6 straight overall and 5 straight in 1-run games.

• Valdespin has 2 HRs in 178 PAs starting, but 6 in 58 PAs in the pinch (tops in MLB since 2012), and 8 HRs in 70 PAs in games he entered as a PH.

@Cardinals 4, Reds 2: St. Louis broke a tie in the 6th with a walk and 4 straight singles, knocking out Homer Bailey. Now up 4-1, men on the corners and 1 out, Lance Lynn took ball 1, then sacrificed the trail runner to 2nd. Oof. They never did get that 5th run, and the Reds got the tying run to the plate in the 9th, but Mujica held on. Lynn is 5-0 this year, one day behind last year’s start.

• Carlos Beltran slammed his 5th HR in 9 games from the #2 spot.