Washington, D.C. -- Fighting for a top spot in the NL East the Washington Nationals took on the Chicago White Sox for their first inter league series of the year. In the first game Jordan Zimmermann would get the start and he would find himself in a 6 run deficit looking at a loss after only 3 innings. The decision was made to keep him in the game so he could get some more work in in the early parts of the year. This would prove lucky for Zimmermann because in the 5th inning Bryce Harper crushed a 2 run home run to close the gap. Zimmermann pitched the 6th inning before getting pulled for a pinch hitter in the Washington half of the 6th inning. The Nationals then exploded for 5 runs in the bottom of the 6th to get a 1 run lead and put Zimmermann in line for the win. In the 9th inning Rafael Soriano would strike out all 3 hitters he faced to get his third save of the season and the victory for Jordan Zimmermann.
Game 2 was a show of muscle for the Nationals as they slugged out 8 runs on 15 hits. Bryce Harper lead the way going 3-4 with 2 HRs, 5 RBIs and 2 R. The Nationals also had a strong showing on the mound as Gio Gonzalez would pitching a complete game to give the Nationals the win.
Game 3 looked to be a classic after Rafael Soriano blew his first game of the year and gave up 2 runs in the 9th to give the White Sox a 4-3 lead. However, the Nationals would claw across a run in the bottom of the 9th to send the game into extra innings. After an uneventful 10th inning the White Sox would capitalize in the 11th inning by scoring 4 runs on a Zach Duke collapse. The Nationals would then be set down in order to give the White Sox the sweep avoiding win.
The Nationals are 5-4 and in second place tied with the Atlanta Braves, one game behind the New York Mets. The Nationals will take on the Braves next for a fight atop the NL East.
Game 1
| R | H | E |
| White Sox | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| Nationals | 7 | 16 | 0 |
W: Jordan Zimmermann (2-0)
L: J. Peavy (0-2)
S: Rafael Soriano (3)
Game 2
| R | H | E |
| White Sox | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Nationals | 8 | 15 | 1 |
W: Gio Gonzalez (1-0)
L: J. Danks (1-1)
Game 3
| R | H | E |
| White Sox | 8 | 11 | 0 |
| Nationals | 4 | 9 | 1 |
W: D. Axelrod (1-0)
L: Zach Duke (1-1)
Nationals Of the Series
LF Bryce Harper: 4-13, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 4 R, 1 K
SP Gio Gonzalez: 9 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, CG