SAN DIEGO -- The way Jordan Zimmermann was pitching, the San Diego Padres didnt have a chance. [url=https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/]NHL Jerseys China[/url] . Zimmermann took a perfect game into the sixth inning and finished with a two-hitter and a career-high 12 strikeouts to lead the Washington Nati

SAN DIEGO -- The way Jordan Zimmermann was pitching, the San Diego Padres didnt have a chance. NHL Jerseys China . Zimmermann took a perfect game into the sixth inning and finished with a two-hitter and a career-high 12 strikeouts to lead the Washington Nationals to a 6-0 victory against the San Diego Padres on Sunday. His game plan worked perfectly for spacious Petco Park. "I was throwing strikes and the guys got me some runs early," he said. "My mentality changed to pour strikes into the zone and fill it up. Big ballpark, just let them hit the ball and I had a lot of strikeouts today which means my fastball was pretty good and I was able to locate it pretty good." Zimmermann (5-2) faced only two batters over the minimum as he walked none in his first complete game of the season and sixth of his career. It was his third career shutout. His previous career high was 11 strikeouts, which hed done twice. The Padres were shut out for the 10th time, tops in the majors, and for the second time in the three-game series. Tanner Roark and the Nationals beat the Padres 6-0 Friday night in a combined three-hitter. Zimmermann said he had a "pretty terrible" bullpen session before the game. "But I guess thats the way it works. When thats bad its usually a game, but when you have a good bullpen you have a good game." He said he didnt think about a no-hitter. "Thats really tough to do. My career numbers say I give up a hit an inning, so I figured they were going to get a hit at some point in the game. It was fun putting up the zeroes but the main thing was to go deep and win the ballgame." San Diegos offensive ineptness was glaring against Zimmermann. He retired the first 16 batters before Alex Amarista singled to right field. Zimmermann then struck out pinch-hitter Tommy Medica and Everth Cabrera to end the inning. "From the first pitch, he was in the strike zone again," manager Matt Williams said. "Strike one is important. He was able to do that today. Fastball command -- he was throwing it exactly where he wanted to throw it." "We just didnt see the ball," Padres manager Bud Black said. "We didnt pick it up off him. He pumped some fastballs on us early and mixed some breaking balls early on and we couldnt solve him." The Padres entered the game with the lowest batting average in the majors, .220. In the span of seven games, they were two-hit twice -- also by Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox -- and one-hit once, although they beat Pittsburgh in that game. "Even with that lead, he hit his spots," Cameron Maybin said of Zimmermann. "He doesnt walk very many people. Sometimes you have to tip your hat. Guys like that are tough to come back against. The guy is pretty good. "In our ballpark, if you can stay out of the middle of the plate, its always tough, especially with his stuff," Maybin said. "He did a great job of locating his pitches today." In his previous start, Zimmermann gave up five hits in eight shutout innings in a 7-0 win against Philadelphia. Ian Desmond hit his second two-run home run in as many games for the Nationals. Danny Espinosa and Jayson Werth each had three hits. San Diegos Seth Smith tripled leading off the eighth and was stranded. Padres left-hander Eric Stults (2-7) lasted only 2 1-3 innings, the shortest of his 85 career starts. He allowed six runs and eight hits, struck out two and walked none. Desmond hit a two-run homer to centre field in the second inning to give the Nationals a 3-0 lead. It was his 13th. He also hit a two-run homer Saturday night to give the Nationals the lead in a game they would lose 4-3 in 11 innings. Stults allowed three straight singles opening the third, including Adam LaRoches RBI base hit. After getting Ryan Zimmerman to line out to first, Stults allowed a single to Desmond to load the bases and was pulled. Tim Stauffer came on and allowed Espinosas two-run single. NOTES: Nationals 3B Anthony Rendon missed his second straight start after getting hit in the hand by a smash by Carlos Quentin on Friday night. Williams said Rendon should be able to play Monday. ... The Nationals open a four-game series at San Francisco on Monday night, when RHP Stephen Strasburg (5-4, 3.10) is scheduled to start against RHP Ryan Vogelsong (4-2, 3.39). ... Itll be a homecoming for Williams, who played his first 10 big league seasons with the Giants. ... The Padres are off Monday before opening a three-game series Tuesday at Philadelphia. Wholesale NHL Jerseys China . New York then missed its next six shots and scored only two points the rest of the night. The Los Angeles Clippers defence and the Knicks general ineptitude both played a role in the unsurprising finish to a meeting of two teams headed in opposite directions. Clearance NHL Jerseys . Numbers Game looks at the As getting Jon Lester from Boston, sending Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox along with a deal involving the As and the Minnesota Twins. The Athletics Get: LHP Jon Lester, LF Jonny Gomes, OF Sam Fuld and cash. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ . When the next inning rolled around Wednesday, though, Nationals manager Matt Williams sent Strasburg to the mound to face the top of the Dodgers order in what would become a 3-2 victory for Washington, the first time this season the No.On paper it looked like an expected result. Aston Villa 0 Manchester City 2. Yes, it was yet another home loss for Aston Villa and they certainly have had far too many of those in recent years, yet there was something rather different going on at Villa Park on Saturday. The pulse was back. Ultimately, the team ended up with nothing; running out losers courtesy of goals from two world class stars, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero, yet this was not a familiar story for Villa fans. They, more than most, know too well what woeful looks like. They have certainly sat through enough of it the last three campaigns. House of Horrors It has been three difficult seasons for the West Midlands club, both on and off the field. Massive financial cutbacks were required following the Martin ONeill era, a time many look back at as being a successful period for the club based on three straight 6th place finishes, yet it was a time of great turmoil financially. By the end of the 2009-10 season, the clubs turnover reached 90 million pounds, of which an incredible 88 per cent (80m) was being spent on players wages, an unsustainable figure for any business. It was time for them to pay for the relative success they achieved on the field. Villa plummeted from 9th to 15th in the 2011-12 season winning just four home matches, the lowest in club history. The crowds also dropped as the fans had no connection to manager Alex McLeish, a former Birmingham City boss who many in the area despised. 2010-11 attendance - 706,685 at an average of 37,194 (8th highest in the PL) 2011-12 attendance - 643, 590 at an average of 33,873 (9th highest in the PL). Paul Lambert arrived as manager in June of 2012 and with it came a new direction as many young, cheaper players from the lower leagues in England were signed. Lambert gambled on youth and it almost cost Villa their Premier League status. Home form wasnt much better than the previous year as they won just five matches, yet the fans returned coming closer to the figures in 2010-11 than in 2011-12. 2012-13 attendance - 666,135 at an average of 35,060 (10th highest in the PL). Villa were equally poor at home last season. Under Lambert they showed no progress in taking over games, struggling to keep the ball and being forced into a counter-attacking side that many said they were better suited to play away from home. Although that was true it was actually an indictment on the team rather than it being a positive system by design. Far too often they simply couldnt control games against inferior teams. They managed to reach six home wins last season but for the third successive season they were in a relegation fight into the last month. Still the crowds came, remarkably improving on the year previous. 2013-14 attendance - 685,535 at an average of 36,081 (9th highest in the PL). Of the 14 teams who played in each of the three seasons (2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14) Villa were last in terms of league home wins (57 games played): Man City 49 Man Utd 40 Chelsea 39 Arsenal 36 Everton 35 Tottenham 35 Liverpool 31 Stoke City 24 Fulham 22 Norwich 21 Swansea 20 West Brom 19 Sunderland 17 Aston Villa 15 Results and poor performances at Villa Park alone were not the reason for Villas struggles but they were one of the main reasons why many of the loyal fan base had grown tired of Paul Lambert as manager. He certainly didnt help his case losing cup matches to lower league opposition at Villa Park, also. Lambert, however, was rewarded with a four year extension last month after the club raced to 10pts through the first four games. Predictably, they have now lost three straight matches to Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City as they continue on a run where they play five successive matches against thee teams that finished in the top five last season. NHL Jerseys Outlet. They were already behind in the first halves against Arsenal and Chelsea but it took Man City 82 patient minutes before they tipped the balance at Villa Park. Yet, this was not a game where Villa simply sat deep and invited pressure on. Naturally Citys talent shone and they were able to dictate much of the possession but Villa showed real signs of progression that will certainly help them improve against much weaker teams than Man City this season. An English Triangle Lambert deserves credit for addressing an alarming lack of experience (and quality) in his squad this summer and bringing in (and back) some senior players, but one area he didnt need to make many adjustments to was central midfield. Many young players simply didnt progress under Lamberts tutelage but two that did were midfielders Ashley Westwood and Fabian Delph. Both were excellent for much of the last two seasons but the Scots insistence to often play them in a 4-2-3-1 very often left them exposed. At the end of the transfer window in August, he added a third English midfielder, signing Tom Cleverley on loan from Manchester United. When healthy, the three have played every minute together since and already have a tremendous understanding of their roles. Westwood, who captained the team against Manchester City with Ron Vlaar and Gabriel Agbonlahor unavailable, sits slightly deeper of the three, centrally, but is far from a midfield destroyer. He presses well and reads the game well but his greatest assets are his passing and ability to find space. These are crucial when Villa start transitions. Delph, rightfully rewarded with an England call-up last month, covers much more ground than Westwood, is more comfortable on the ball and can penetrate into the final third with his endless amount of energy. He doesnt have Westwoods passing but he is much more dangerous when in possession. Cleverley has been a superb addition that the pair needed. He operates to the right of Westwood, is a good passer but, like Delph, is intelligent in pressing and can make runs in behind defenders. The trio had an excellent match against a Man City team that once again experimented in midfield and still didnt get their balance right as they flipped from Toure and Fernandinho to Toure and Frank Lampard and eventually settled on Toure, Lampard and Fernando, a combination that was on the field for their goals but is still far from their best. Pass Completion Rate vs City Ashley Westwood 41/47 - 87 per cent Fabian Delph 40/45 - 89 per cent Tom Cleverley 53/56 - 95 per cent Total - 134/148 - 91 per cent Westwood to Delph (14) was the top pass combination for Villa in the game with Cleverley to Westwood (11) and Westwood to Cleverley (10) not far behind. The trio also combined for 10 interceptions. Statistics tell only part of the story. Their collective pressing was intelligent and rarely did they allow creators like David Silva and Toure in behind them. It was no coincidence that both City goals came from when they finally found the key to the space vacated behind the trio. In possession they switch the play well while Delph and Cleverley can break away on the break and create overlaps out wide with full backs or wingers. Star striker Christian Benteke returned for 30 minutes against Man City and linked up well with the three Englishmen in behind him. Results may have not gone their way lately but there is certainly many reasons for the Villa Park faithful to be optimistic once the team returns following the international break. With three rare intelligent English midfielders together there should be no reason why they cant finally dictate home matches against teams not challenging for the top six. ' ' '