Minnesota had a chance to cut into the lead

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WASHINGTON -- Ryan Zimmerman came forward to make a head-high running catch on a slicing line drive off the bat of Chase Utley, a routine play that drew a disproportionately grand ovation from the home fans. . "Thats almost the awkward part of it," Zimmerman said. "Yeah, I caught the ball. Yeah, like, I can catch a fly ball." He might have been embarrassed by all the fuss, but it was nevertheless a landmark moment in career of the player long considered the face of the Washington Nationals franchise. It was his first putout as an outfielder after more than 1,100 games as a third baseman, part of a good night all around for him and his club Tuesday in a 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Jordan Zimmermann rebounded from a mini-slump to throw eight scoreless innings, Zimmerman hit a pair of doubles and handled his two chances with aplomb in left field, and the Nationals moved back to .500 by taking the opener of the three-game series. "Theres nothing like getting into the first game and getting a couple of balls," Zimmerman said. "And getting a couple of hits helped, too." Zimmermann (4-2) allowed five hits and struck out four, recovering well from four middling starts that had raised his usually impeccable ERA to 4.07. He got all the support he needed when the Nationals scored three in the third inning off David Buchanan (1-2), making his third career start. "May was a pretty rough month for me, and hopefully June has better things to come," Zimmermann said. "I wanted to go nine, but eightll be good enough." Zimmerman went 2 for 4 with one RBI after being reinstated before the game following 44 games on the disabled list with a broken right thumb. Of greater interest was his move to the outfield, a switch necessitated by his throwing problems and the need for a strong hitter to play left field while Bryce Harper recovers from thumb surgery. Zimmerman said he was initially hesitant to try the outfield, but he realized his chronic shoulder problems mean his days as a regular third baseman are numbered. Ever the team player, he said he just wanted to help the club win -- even if theres likely not a Gold Glove in it for him, like the one he won playing third in 2009. "I feel like Im athletic enough to at least blend in," he said. "And not cause problems." Like many infielders-turned-outfielders before him, he learned the action isnt as fast and furious when stationed 300 feet from home plate. Playing deeper than a usual left fielder and using a glove borrowed from teammate Jayson Werth, he fielded only the liner from Utley and a shallow flyout by Marlon Byrd in the sixth before being removed for defensive replacement Nate McLouth after seven innings. There was no complaint about the lack of work. "That means our pitchers are doing a good job," Zimmerman said. "I just catch what comes to me." Its Zimmermans bat thats really needed by the Nationals, who slumped at the plate for most of last month and have been hovering around .500 in the NL East. They started hitting better in a weekend series against the Texas Rangers, however, and have scored 26 runs in their last four games. Zimmerman doubled to left in the second and to right in the fifth, and each time a black padded glove was brought to him to wear to protect his thumb as he ran the bases. Werth added a two-run double in the third, Denard Span had three hits, and Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon homered for the Nationals. The Phillies lost their fourth straight and were shut out for the eighth time this season, failing to get any impetus from a pregame team meeting called by manager Ryne Sandberg. Sandberg addressed focus and fundamentals, but theres only so much the manager could do about Zimmermanns mid-90s fastball and debilitating slider. Philadelphia is 9-18 since May 4. "We werent able to get anything going offensively, got shut down by a good pitcher," Sandberg said. "He kind of set the tone for the game." NOTES: The Phillies optioned RHP Phillippe Aumont to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and recalled RHP Ethan Martin from Lehigh Valley. ... Philadelphia signed RHP Jason Marquis to a minor league contract. He will report to Class-A Clearwater for extended spring training. ... Nationals LHP Gio Gonzalez, on the 15-day disabled list with an inflamed pitching shoulder, will make a rehab start with Single-A Potomac on Friday. . The day after the Raptors were mocked for the debacle, a Raptors official confirmed that an ESPN technician plugged into the same power source for the shot clocks, frying the power system. . The offensive drought ended with flurry, though, as Boston scored eight times in the fourth inning Saturday, including a grand slam by Carl Crawford, in a 12-7 win over the Texas Rangers. . Kevin Love scored 33 points and tied a season high with 19 rebounds for his NBA-best 50th double-double this season, and the Timberwolves withstood Denvers 45-point fourth quarter to beat the skidding Nuggets 132-128 on Monday night for their third win in a row.MINNEAPOLIS -- Kansas Citys James Shields is accustomed to pitching in close games this season. He kept his team in the game until the Royals were able to break through late. Shields was sharp for 7 1-3 innings, Alex Gordon had three RBIs, and Kansas City scored five runs in the eighth inning to beat the Minnesota Twins 6-1 on Tuesday. "The way Shields was pitching, it was like, Ok, just hold em until we can break something open," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Finally, in the eighth it got broken open." Shields -- the key part in the deal that sent top prospect Wil Myers to Tampa Bay in the off-season -- struck out seven and notched his American-League best 22nd quality start. Shields (9-8) went over the .500 mark and only allowed one hit through seven innings before running into trouble and leaving in the eighth. While the wins havent been there for Shields, hes pitched well. "Ive got a ton of quality starts this year and I feel like Ive been pitching well all year," Shields said. "The wins are going to come. Im not really too worried about it. Im just going to keep grinding out the rest of the season and hope for the best." Kevin Correia struck out a season-high seven over seven shutout innings, but ended up with a no-decision. Brian Dozier had the Twins RBI. Seven consecutive Royals hitters reached base in a five-run eighth that broke open a scoreless game and handed reliever Jared Burton (2-8) his third loss to Kansas City this season. The first two runs scored on a bloop single from Chris Getz and a Jarrod Dyson bunt. Gordon followed with a bases-clearing double down the right-field line that made it 5-0 and sent most of the fans at a steamy Target Field heading for the exits. Burton also lost Sunday in Cleveland. "Ill talk to Burton a little bit tomorrow about what he did and how he felt and what he was thinking, and then we move on," Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson said. Billy Butler hit his 14th home run in the ninth. After losing seven straight and damaging their playoff chances, the Royals have won three in a row. "You have to fight through it," Dyson said. "Thats the great part about us. We fight through everything." After walking Ryan Doumit in the second, Shields retired 14 of thhe next 15 batters and held the Twins until the offence got him some support. . . Wade Davis, the other pitcher Kansas City acquired in the Myers deal, hasnt been nearly as effective and was demoted to the bullpen on Tuesday. Danny Duffy will be called up on Wednesday from Triple-A Omaha and take Davis slot in the rotation. The Twins have struggled to score since All-Star Joe Mauer went on the disabled list a week ago with a concussion. Minnesota had a chance to cut into the lead after Doziers double chased Shields and made it 5-1 in the eighth. But Will Smith struck out Chris Herrmann and Justin Morneau with runners on second and third to end the threat. The Twins struck out 11 times and were 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position. "Good ball game until we got into the eighth, and then things kind of unraveled there, we couldnt really stop them," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "The ball kept going their way, bunts, you name it, everything, stolen bases, bloops, and there you have it, a five spot." NOTES: Davis is 6-10 with a 5.67 ERA and will move to the bullpen. ... Twins general manager Terry Ryan said its still to be determined if Mauer will make the upcoming road trip to Texas. Ryan also said that Mauer is making progress in his recovery from a concussion. ... Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said OF Oswaldo Arcia will probably be out for at least a few more days with a sore hand. ... The Royals signed Carlos Pena to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Omaha. Pena, 35, hit .209 with eight homers in 85 games for Houston before being released on July 31. ... Kansas City also traded minor-league OF Quintin Berry to Boston for minor league reliever Clayton Mortensen. ... Twins 1B Chris Colabello was selected the International MVP and Rookie of the Year. He hit .352 with 24 home runs. ... The Royals bumped Bruce Chen back a day so Duffy could start Wednesdays game against the Twins. Duffy had elbow surgery last season and has made two spot starts for Kansas City in August, allowing two runs in 9 2-3 innings. ... Andrew Albers (2-1, 3.00 ERA) makes his fifth major league start for the Twins on Wednesday. Albers pitched 8 1-3 scoreless innings in his major-league debut against the Royals earlier this season. ' ' '