DENVER -- Early on, Stephen Strasburg didnt have his best stuff and yet the powerful right-hander tried to bear down to keep his team close. Jose Calderon Pistons Jersey . Almost paid off, too. The Washington Nationals loaded the bases in the ninth before falling 6-4 to Jorge De La Rosa and the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. Strasburg (7-8) settled in after a shaky start, giving up four runs -- three of which were in the first -- and nine hits over 5 1-3 innings. "Giving up three runs early, I couldve easily shut it down," Strasburg said. "I didnt want to do that. I wanted to keep it as close as possible. Give the guys a chance to come back -- anything can happen here." And almost did. Closer LaTroy Hawkins got the first two outs in the ninth, before allowing RBI singles to Jayson Werth and Anthony Rendon to make it a 6-4 game. With the bases loaded, Hawkins struck out Ian Desmond to end the rally. "You have to tip your cap sometimes. He did a good job," Desmond said. "He made some pitches on me. "We did a good job battling back right there. We kept on grinding away. Ill take us in that situation a lot of times." Denard Span had four hits for the Nationals, who finished the season series 5-1 against Colorado. He was one of the few to have success against De La Rosa, who gave the Rockies a badly needed boost as they snapped a seven-game skid. "Jorge, another great outing. He did it again," manager Walt Weiss said. "Were scuffling like crazy and he takes the ball and gives us a great performance and wins the game." The Rockies tried a little bit of everything to break out of their funk. They wore their socks high and even engaged in a pregame staring contest. Turns out, the best cure for their slump was simply the left arm of De La Rosa. De La Rosa (11-6) struck out a season-high 11 as he pitched efficiently into the eighth inning. He kept the Nationals guessing by effectively mixing in a changeup with his 89-mph cutter. "All my pitches were working really good today," said De La Rosa, who allowed two runs -- one earned -- before being lifted for a reliever with one out in the eighth. "My command of all my pitches was really good today." The Rockies decided as a team to wear their socks high, just to try something new. Even Weiss followed the trend. This helped ease the tension, too: Prior to the first pitch, Rockies outfielder Brandon Barnes and Nationals reliever Aaron Barrett engaged in quite a stare-down, with both players standing near the dugout holding their hats over their chest to see who would blink first. After several minutes, Barnes finally gestured toward Barrett that they settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissor. Right after De La Rosas warmup pitches, home plate umpire Paul Emmel told Barnes go into the dugout, with Barrett throwing his hands up in triumph. "Well do any stare-down to win games, for sure," joked Nolan Arenado. Once again, De La Rosa mastered a park that typically isnt friendly to pitchers. Hes 42-14 lifetime at Coors Field. "This is the perfect park for me," he said. Usually, its the hitters saying that. De La Rosa had his pitches dancing all day. He struck out Bryce Harper three times. The Nationals were just 1 of 14 with runners in scoring position off De La Rosa. "He knows how to pitch here," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "Hes got a surprising fast ball when he needs it, but he relies on his changeup a lot. Thats a great strategy here. "Hes a good pitcher. He pitches well." The Nationals were without infielder Ryan Zimmerman, who went on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained right hamstring. "Its a pretty substantial strain of the hamstring," Williams said. "You never know how its going to react, so well just take it day by day. Its going to be a couple of weeks at least. Well see where he is at the end of that and go from there. He pulled it good." NOTES: Werth wasnt in the starting lineup because of a tender right knee. ... The Nationals are off Thursday before opening a three-game series in Cincinnati. Zaza Pachulia Jersey .com) - Many people at Eastern Washington are waiting to see if star quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. Zaza Pachulia Pistons Jersey . There were no real chances until Augsburg broke the deadlock through Raul Bobadilla in the 33rd minute. Frankfurt failed to clear a cross and Bobadilla slotted home from close range at the far post. https://www.pistonsrookiesshop.com/Bruce-Brown-Jr-City-Edition-Jersey/ .com) - The Oakland Athletics needed to rely on a lot of young pitchers to win an American League West title this season.International rugby is back and over the course of the next three weeks, the Northern Hemisphere will take on the might of the Southern Hemisphere in the 2016 Summer Tours. The International action starts with England Saxons playing the first of two Tests against South Africa A on Friday, live on Sky Sports 3 HD from 5.30pm.All four home nations face tough tours, with Wales meeting the current world champions New Zealand, England taking part in a three-Test series in Australia, Ireland taking on South Africa and Scotland facing Japan. After the success of the Southern Hemisphere sides in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the touring parties will be eager to make their mark over the coming weeks and all know the opportunity that the first Test presents to them. Summer Tour - Opening Tests Friday South Africa A v England 5.30pm, Sky Sports 3 HD Saturday New Zealand v Wales 8am, Sky Sports 1 HD Australia v England 10. Henry Ellenson Jersey. .30am, Sky Sports 1 HD South Africa v Ireland 3.30pm, Sky Sports 1 HD How can you watch the Summer Tests on Sky Sports?On Saturday, the opening Tests commence with back-to-back morning fixtures live on Sky Sports 1 HD. Wales maiden outing against New Zealand at Eden Park kick-starts the day from 8am, followed by Australia against England in Brisbane from 10.30am.After a short break, the International action will return with South Africa v Ireland live from 3.30pm. Sam Warburton: Three-test series in New Zealand represents an amazing opportunity Non-subscribers, meanwhile, will be able to watch the test matches on NOW TV from £6.99, no contract required. And finally, our digital platforms - including skysports.com and the smartphone app - will have all of the news and insights from the Summer Tours both before and after the games, with all the action covered in our live blog. Watch South Africa A v England Saxons on Friday on Sky Sports 3 HD from 5.30pm. Watch the opening Summer Tests live on Saturday on Sky Sports 1 HD from 8am - or watch the matches without a contract for £6.99 on NOW TV. Also See: Jones: First Test key to win Cheika: Forget wind-ups, Eddie Schmidt: Burnout not a fear No All Blacks weakness ' ' '