| SEASON | CAREER |
| W0 | 0 |
| L1 | 1 |
| G1 | 1 |
| IP5.0 | 5.0 |
| BB2 | 2 |
| SO4 | 4 |
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W8 | 68 |
| L9 | 69 |
| G25 | 228 |
| IP158.0 | 1237.0 |
| BB49 | 488 |
| SO139 | 940 |
With young ace Stephen Strasburg expected to make only two more starts, the Washington Nationals will likely need some help from the latter part of their rotation.
Veteran right-hander Edwin Jackson will try to make another contribution to the Nationals' division title chase by building on a superb outing Tuesday night against the visiting Chicago Cubs .
Washington (82-52) has a 6 1/2 game-lead over Atlanta in the NL East but will have to finish the job without Strasburg, who is scheduled to make his final start this season Sept. 12. The 24-year-old right-hander, who has an NL-best 195 strikeouts, has thrown 156 1-3 innings in his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery.
"I think we have four of the top pitchers in the National League," general manager Mike Rizzo told the team's official website. "I think all of them can go out there under a playoff atmosphere. I think they are ultra-talented and they are stuff guys, and I think they are going to be tough to deal with against any team we play against."
Jackson (8-9, 3.53 ERA) was very tough on potential playoff foe St. Louis on Thursday as he gave up an unearned run and struck out 10 over eight innings of an 8-1 victory. The right-hander has yielded three runs or fewer in seven of his last eight outings.
He has fanned 29 batters while walking just five over 21 innings in his last three starts.
The Nationals are batting .330 with 41 runs during a 5-1 stretch, although their bats cooled off during a 2-1 victory in Monday's series opener. Washington still clinched its first winning season since 2003, two years before the franchise relocated from Montreal.
"We haven't really done anything yet, and we're looking for bigger things," third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. "It not being a major story shows how far we've come."
The Cubs (51-83), meanwhile, are already guaranteed a third straight losing campaign, the first time they've done that since 1990-92. They have dropped 25 of 33 overall and 14 of 15 on the road.
Chicago's continued struggles in one-run games aren't helping its cause. The Cubs are 12-23 in those contests.
"It's amazing how you can be in so many games and never win them," manager Dale Sveum said. "That's a sign of a team that needs to get a long way before you start winning those games."
Chris Rusin (0-1, 1.80) will try to help the Cubs snap a three-game skid as he returns to the majors. The left-hander gave up one run and one hit over five innings in his MLB debut Aug. 21 in Milwaukee but took the loss in a 5-2 defeat.
"It is always a good opportunity to get out there and do as good as you can and take advantage of it," Rusin said after that game. "I thought I did all right, but we didn't get the win."
Jackson hasn't faced the Cubs this year, but he posted a 2.57 ERA over his final three starts against them in 2011 while with the Cardinals.
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AVG
HRRUNSSBSOBBOBPSLGOPSERAQSSOBBSVBSBAAWHIPE
VS.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Darwin Barney | 12 | .250 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .583 | .333 |
| Starlin Castro | 16 | .250 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .294 | .544 | .250 |
| David DeJesus | 14 | .286 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .333 | .762 | .429 |
| Blake DeWitt | 11 | .455 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .455 | .910 | .455 |
| Ryan Dempster | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Matt Garza | 3 | .333 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .666 | .333 |
| Reed Johnson | 4 | .250 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .400 | .900 | .500 |
| Bryan LaHair | 7 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Alfonso Soriano | 21 | .238 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | .273 | .702 | .429 |
| Geovany Soto | 13 | .077 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | .263 | .417 | .154 |
| Ian Stewart | 2 | .500 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 1.000 | .500 |
| Chris Volstad | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Randy Wells | 5 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
 Chicago Cubs |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| July 28, 2012 | Matt Garza | 60-Day DL | Stress reaction, right elbow |
| July 21, 2012 | Matt Garza | Day-to-Day | Left game - right triceps cramp |
| June 16, 2012 | Ryan Dempster | 15-Day DL | Right lat tightness |
| June 13, 2012 | Ian Stewart | 60-Day DL | Left wrist surgery |
| June 02, 2012 | Blake Parker | 60-Day DL | Stress reaction in right elbow |
| June 02, 2012 | Blake Parker | 60-Day DL | Stress reaction in right elbow |
 Washington Nationals |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| September 03, 2012 | Michael Morse | Day-to-Day | Left game - sore right thumb |
| September 02, 2012 | Jayson Werth | Day-to-Day | Sore hamstring |
| August 24, 2012 | Ian Desmond | Day-to-Day | Strained right hamstring |
| August 24, 2012 | Michael Morse | Day-to-Day | Left game - right hand contusion |
| August 13, 2012 | Jayson Werth | Day-to-Day | Sore right ankle |
| August 05, 2012 | Mark DeRosa | 15-Day DL | Left abdominal strain |
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Washington's talented rotation has overshadowed its lineup for most of the season.
It turns out the NL East leaders can hit, too.
Adam LaRoche hit two of Washington's six homers, Ian Desmond had four RBIs and the Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs 11-5 on Tuesday night.
LaRoche and Jayson Werth had four hits apiece for the Nationals, who opened a season-high 7 1/2-game advantage in the division. Second-place Atlanta lost to Colorado 6-0.
Desmond, Jesus Flores , Tyler Moore and Ryan Zimmerman also went deep. The six home runs matched a team record, and every Nationals starter had at least one hit.
"We owe this to our pitchers for bailing us out," LaRoche said.
"It goes back to getting a lot of guys going well. You see better pitches. Everybody gets better pitches to hit. There's nobody to really pitch around because you get somebody dangerous on deck."
Werth and Michael Morse missed substantial time this season because of injuries, and Desmond was out for 3 1/2 weeks with an oblique strain. The Nationals have had all three together since Aug. 17.
"We're in a pretty good place offensively," manager Davey Johnson said. "I like the lineup we have. We haven't had the lineup together very long."
Nationals right-hander Edwin Jackson (9-9) allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings. He struck out eight and walked one.
Washington has scored 19 runs in Jackson's last two starts.
"There's definitely nobody in the clubhouse that's going to complain about run support," Jackson said.
Desmond hit a two-run drive off Chris Rusin (0-2) in the first for his 20th homer. The All-Star shortstop added a two-run double in Washington's three-run second.
Rusin, who was recalled from Double-A Tennessee before the game, was pulled after the first four batters reached in the second. He was charged with five runs and eight hits in the Cubs' shortest start of the season.
"Without breaking balls you better keep it down and you better have movement and today he didn't have either," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said.
"The cutter wasn't doing a whole lot and you couldn't get the ball to sink or keep it down. He threw a few good changeups, that was about it. It's tough to get through a major league lineup, let alone that lineup, with a flat fastball."
Chicago used seven pitchers, five in the first five innings.
"Always a chance to make an impression. That's what you want to do, but you can't have outings like this," Rusin said.
LaRoche had a solo shot and Moore belted a two-run drive off Rafael Dolis in the fourth. Zimmerman led off the sixth with his 18th homer off Miguel Socolovich and LaRoche connected for his 27th homer against Jeff Beliveau in the eighth.
"We know we're capable of hitting the ball out of the ballpark," Desmond said.
The Nationals are third in the NL with 151 home runs.
"The offense was fun to watch," Johnson said.
Alfonso Soriano hit his 26th homer and a two-run triple for the Cubs, who have dropped four straight. Starlin Castro drove in two runs.
Chicago has eight losing streaks of at least four games this season.
NOTES: The Nationals also hit six home runs on May 20, 2011, in Baltimore. ... RHP Jaye Chapman, who also was recalled from Double-A Tennessee on Tuesday, Socolovich and C Anthony Recker made their Cubs debuts. Chicago has used 29 pitchers and 52 players, both franchise records. ... Washington activated RHP Chien-Ming Wang, who had been on the 15-day disabled list since July 1. The Nationals also recalled OF Corey Brown from Triple-A Syracuse. ... Washington RHP Christian Garcia made his major league debut, retiring the only batter he faced in the sixth inning. ... NASCAR driver Kurt Busch threw out a ceremonial first pitch. ... Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez (17-7, 3.10 ERA) will face RHP Chris Volstad (2-9, 6.06 ERA) when the series resumes on Wednesday.
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Chicago Cubs