SAN DIEGO (AP) -- San Diego Padres manager Bud Black didn't need to do any deep thinking to figure out what's wrong with Odrisamer Despaigne.
"He's got to make better pitches," Black said after Despaigne lasted only three innings in a 10-0 loss to the Washington Nationals on Friday night. He allowed seven runs and 10 hits, and has allowed 15 runs in eight innings in his last two starts.
"The slider, the curve, the change, first and foremost, aren't in the strike zone," Black said. "They're not serving any function right now. When he's on, his weapons are in the strike zone and you see the oppositions swing at all different types of pitches. But now they seem to be laying off the secondaries and wait for the fastballs."
Bryce Harper hit his NL-leading 13th homer and Jordan Zimmermann and A.J. Cole combined on a seven-hitter.
Harper matched the home run total for his entire injury-plagued 2014 season, when he played 100 games. His 13 homers this year have come in 37 games.
Zimmermann (3-2) struck out six and allowed six singles in six innings to win his fourth straight start. He improved to 3-1 in five starts at Petco Park. Zimmermann allowed three straight singles opening the fifth before retiring the side to preserve the shutout.
Cole, recalled earlier from Triple-A Syracuse, allowed one single in three innings of relief to earn his first save.
The Nationals had a season-high 16 hits in winning for the 13th time in 17 games.
The Padres were shut out for the fourth time in 11 games and the sixth time this season.
Harper paused for a moment to admire his high, arcing shot off reliever Shawn Kelley into the Jack Daniels party deck atop the right field wall in the fourth that give the Nationals an 8-0 lead. It was the second homer in five games on this trip for Harper, who hit six homers at home last week. He had three hits.
The Nationals opened with four straight singles off Despaigne, including Harper's RBI single. Ryan Zimmerman drew a bases-loaded walk, another run came in when Wilson Ramos hit into a double play and Ian Desmond hit an RBI single.
"I think my control has been a little inconsistent," Despaigne said through a translator. "One time it's my fastball that's not working and the next time it's my curveball that's not working. It's just a matter of consistency."
The Nationals had five straight hits opening the third. Desmond hit an RBI single and Danny Espinosa drove in two runs before being thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple. Zimmermann doubled to left before Despaigne got the final two outs.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Nationals: LF Jayson Werth was hit on the left wrist by a pitch from Despaigne in the second inning and was replaced in the bottom of the inning by Tyler Moore. ... Washington placed RHP Doug Fister on the 15-day DL with right forearm tightness and recalled Cole. Fister lasted only two innings in an 8-3 loss Thursday night, allowing seven runs and eight hits.
Padres: Black said OF Wil Myers (wrist) could be available for next week's series against the Chicago Cubs. ... RHP Josh Johnson, who's coming back from arm surgery, had a bullpen session.
UP NEXT
Nationals: Max Scherzer (3-3, 1.99 ERA) faced the Padres four times while with Arizona in 2009, going 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA. He has faced them only once since then, losing 5-1 on April 13, 2014.
Padres: RHP Andrew Cashner (1-6, 3.07) has been tagged with the loss in each of his last four starts despite posting a 3.33 ERA in that stretch. The Padres are 1-6 in his starts and he leads the majors with 10 unearned runs allowed.
