Nationals vs. Padres: Gio Gonzalez delivers another gem in 3-1 win Gonzalez outdueled left-hander Clayton Richard, who held the Nationals hitless for four innings and scoreless for six. They finally broke through in the seventh, when Chad Tracy reprised his season-opening role as an off-the-bench hero with a two-run, pinch-hit single. The Nationals" bullpen held on, barely, to push the Nationals" record to 13-4. Moments after Henry Rodriguez pumped 100-mph fastballs in the ninth to polish off his fifth save, the Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers - a result that gave the Nationals the best record in the National League. The Nationals possess an impotent offense and crowded trainer's room, but their rotation covers those and any other ills. After Gonzalez's latest tour de force, Nationals starters have thrown 22 consecutive scoreless innings, which is only their second-longest such streak this season; they had a 23-inning scoreless streak, too. In 13 of 17 games, the Nationals" starter has allowed two or fewer earned runs. And yet, their offense makes them sweat it out, night after night. Richard matched Gonzalez zero for zero until the sixth, when the Nationals finally broke through. Xavier Nady scalded a double to left field, only the second hit off Richard all night. Wilson Ramos drew a walk, and Steve Lombardozzi bunted both runners into scoring position. With his spot in order due up, Gonzalez's night had ended after 91 pitches. One byproduct of crummy offense is pulling the starter sooner than you want. The Nationals obviously needed a pinch hitter, but who? Hitless in his last 11 at-bats, a left-handed pinch hitter to face a left-handed pitcher, Tracy walked from the on-deck circle to the batter's box. Manager Davey Johnson had no choice but to send up a lefty. With Zimmerman out and Richard starting, his usual right-handed pinch-hitting candidates - Nady, Mark DeRosa and Lombardozzi - were already in the game. Tracy had delivered clutch pinch-hits in the Nationals" first two games of the season, but he hadn't produced another since. Against Richard, he took one ball, then smacked a hard groundball up the middle. It scooted through the drawn-in infield. Both Nady and Ramos raced home, giving the Nationals a 2-0 lead. A two-run lead over the Padres at Petco Park typically ensures victory, but the Nationals forced themselves to clear one more hurdle. Craig Stammen relieved Gonzalez and, following several scintillating appearances, he had nothing. He yielded a walk and a single, then exited so Tyler Clippard could clean up the mess.