NEWS » The D-backs also landed Ian Kennedy from the Yankees, wh

WASHINGTON -- For a guy who was originally supposed to have the weekend off, Bryce Harper was pretty productive on Saturday. Harper drove in three runs after talking his way into Washingtons lineup, Ryan Zimmerman knocked in the go-ahead run and the Nationals rallied for a 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres. Adam LaRoche homered, and Denard Span and Ian Desmond added two hits apiece as the Nationals won their third straight and moved three games over .500 (45-42) for the first time since mid-May. Harper, who was named to the NL All-Star Team on Saturday along with starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, texted Davey Johnson and lobbied for playing time earlier in the day after the Washington manager said Friday night that he was probably going to give the young slugger the weekend off. "In his text he said, Play me or trade me," Johnson said before the game. "And so since tradings out of the question I guess Im going to play him." Harper walked with the bases loaded in the third, hit an RBI single in the fifth and drove in the tying run in the seventh with a sacrifice fly. "Yeah, I mean I was pretty serious about what I said," Harper said of his text. "You know I want to play. I want to play every day and if he wants to put me in the lineup then I want to be in the lineup. And if he doesnt then Im going to try and make him put me in the lineup. "Its something that I want to do every day and Im going to grind through everything I do and play as hard as I can and good things happen." Since returning from the disabled list and homering in his first at-bat Monday night against Milwaukee, Harper had gone 0 for 19 before his RBI single. He was 0 for 4 with a sacrifice fly in Friday nights 8-5 win over San Diego. Jesus Guzman hit a three-run homer and doubled for San Diego, which has lost eight straight. The Padres went 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position Saturday. Ross Ohlendorf (2-0) got the win, Drew Storen pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth for his 24th save. Soriano allowed a pair of singles with one out, but retired pinch hitter Mark Kotsay and Everth Cabrera -- on a diving stop by LaRoche at first -- to end it. The Nationals trailed 4-3 when they came up in the seventh. Span and Desmond singled off reliever Nick Vincent (2-1) with one out, and left-hander Joe Thatcher came on to face Harper. After a wild pitch advanced both runners, Harper lifted a fly ball to left and Span scored easily after the catch to tie it. Zimmerman followed with a RBI single off Luke Gregerson to score Desmond with the go-ahead run. "Weve been playing better lately and obviously scoring runs later in the game and getting hits like that, so (weve) got to keep doing that and take it one game at a time slowly just kind of creep up," Zimmerman said. Trailing 3-1 in the sixth, the Padres got one-out singles from Carlos Quentin and Chase Headley. Johnson lifted Jordan Zimmermann after he had thrown 101 pitches and brought in Ohlendorf to face Guzman, who deposited a 1-1 fastball in the Padres bullpen to give San Diego the lead. "I tell you, this game is weird," Guzman said. "Ive had three or four home runs to give us the lead, and weve lost. And we win the game (earlier in the season) at home when I get hit by pitch." Zimmermann, who was suffering from neck stiffness, allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings, striking out four and walking one. "Its been going on for a little while, but Ill be fine," he said. "Today I was just deep in the counts and they were battling and made me work out there, and it was probably one of the hottest games Ive ever pitched in, so that definitely doesnt help." San Diego starter Jason Marquis went six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits. He struck out three, walked three and also contributed at the plate with a double and an RBI groundout. "Its not fun," Marquis said. "Especially after the hole we dug out of early. We put ourselves in a good position to stay in it." Washington took the lead in the third. Anthony Rendon led off with a single and Kurt Suzuki doubled him to third. Ryan Zimmermann struck out, but Span walked to load the bases. Desmond grounded into a fielders choice, with Rendon out at home, but Harper walked to make it 1-0. LaRoche made it 2-0 when he led off the fourth with his 13th homer of the season, a line drive into the Nationals bullpen. "That was a wild game," Johnson said. "We had chances to put Marquis out of his misery early and couldnt do it, but kept battling." San Diego got a run back in the fifth when Logan Forsythe walked and later scored on Marquis grounder to short. Washington got it right back when Span singled, stole second, went to third on a bloop single by Desmond and scored on Harpers single. NOTES: Padres C Yasmani Grandal was hurt on Rendons slide and left the game with a right knee sprain. Padres manager Bud Black said hell go on the disabled list. . Johnson said starting pitcher Ross Detwiler experienced discomfort in his back when he threw his bullpen session and headed for the disabled list. . Black said 2B Jedd Gyorko (groin) did some running before Saturdays game and hopes to play a minor league rehab game in the middle of next week. . San Diego LHP Robbie Erlin (1-1, 4.34 ERA) opposes Stephen Strasburg (4-6, 2.24) in Sundays series finale. Discount Custom Hockey Jerseys . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. Custom Hockey Jerseys Outlet . -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars. http://www.customjerseyshockey.com/ . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Cheap Custom Hockey Jerseys . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Cheap Custom Hockey Jerseys Free Shipping . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. PHOENIX -- Arizona and San Diego enter the final series of the regular season in search of smaller victories, unfortunately about all that is left to accomplish in a down year for each.Diamondbacks second baseman Jean Segura, whose credentials as a leadoff man were questioned following his offseason acquisition, enters the three-game series with a career-high 201 hits.Segura has a commanding nine-hit lead over Colorados DJ LeMahieu and the Dodgers Corey Seager in an attempt to lead the league in that category, and he is five hits from tying Luis Gonzalezs franchise record of 206 hits set in 1999.The only way the D-backs (66-93) can avoid a disappointing last-place finish in the NL West is with a sweep. The Padres (68-91) have won nine of the first 16 meetings while outscoring the D-backs, 92-69.San Diego rookie right fielder Hunter Renfroe looks to continue his final-week binge in his first appearance at Chase Field, one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball.Renfroe, who was promoted when the minor league season ended in the third week of September, has home runs in three of his last four starts, and his work in the first two games of the recently completed Los Angeles series was particularly memorable.Renfroe had two homers and seven RBI in a 7-1 victory over the Dodgers on Tuesday, book-ending his night with a three-run homer in the first inning and a grand slam in the eighth.The most impressive line in that nights box scores:Two-out RBI: Renfroe 7.He had four RBI the next night on a two-run single in the first inning and a two-run homer in the third in the Padres 7-6 victory. He had a single in the final game of the series and is hitting .360.I love Hunter Renfroes even-keel demeanor, said Padres manager Andy Green, who was Arizonas third base coach in 2015.Arizona rookie right-hander Braden Shipley, 4-5 with a 5.26 ERA, will makke his 11th major league start Friday, his third against the Padres this season and his first against them at Chase Field.dddddddddddd He has given up nine runs in 9 2/3 innings in the previous two starts.San Diego is expected to start right-hander Edwin Jackson, whose 14-year, 11-team trek through the majors includes a brief stop with the Diamondbacks. He threw a 149-pitch no-hitter for Arizona at Tampa Bay on June 2, 2010.Jackson, 5-6 with a 5.77 ERA, will be remembered as part of the package the D-backs received in a three-team trade in the winter of 2009 that sent eventual Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to the Tigers. The D-backs also landed Ian Kennedy from the Yankees, who received Curtis Granderson as their major piece.Jackson beat San Francisco in his last outing, and seven of his 12 starts for the Padres have been quality starts.Segura has been a bright light in his first season with the Diamondbacks, out-shining bigger-name offseason acquisitions Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller, neither of whom will take a turn in the final series.With three singles in a rain-shortened 3-0 victory at Washington on Wednesday, Segura reached 200 hits and became the 14th player in major league history to have 200 hits, 20 homers and 30 stolen bases in the regular season.Others on that list include Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Larry Walker and Vladimir Guerrero. Jacoby Ellsbury was the most recent addition, when he had 212 hits, 29 homers and 51 stolen bases with Boston in 2011.Segura singled in three plate appearances Thursday before leaving in the seventh inning with cramping in his rib cage.Were hoping its OK so he can continue his quest for Gonzos record, Arizona manager Chip Hale told reporters. ' ' '