Embattled cleanup man Zimmerman enjoys breakout

WASHINGTON — As teams increasingly choose to pitch around Bryce Harper, the burden falls to Ryan Zimmerman to make them pay. And on Tuesday night, the first baseman showed what he can do if opponents choose to go after him.

After entering the night with only one home run, Zimmerman hit a two-run blast in the fifth inning after a Harper walk, as well as a solo shot in the seventh, driving in three of Washington’s four runs and raising his slugging percentage 56 points. And though the Nationals lost to the Tigers, 5-4, Tuesday marked an important breakthrough for their cleanup hitter.

“I’m very encouraged by how he swung the bat,” manager Dusty Baker said. “Those balls were loud and they were hit a ton and they were on a line. …

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