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. 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. Custom San Diego Padres Jerseys . -- Wichita State is all alone in the record book. San Diego Padres Shirts . Louis Cardinals continued their offensive tear with a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series. https://www.cheappadresjerseys.us/.com) - The NBA will be on display overseas Thursday with the New York Knicks taking on the Milwaukee Bucks at O2 Arena in London. San Diego Padres Store . As a follow-up, TSN.ca offers you the opportunity to chime in on all the big issues with our insiders. Read up on all the questions and answers, and put in your own two cents on our popular Your Call feature. Padres Jerseys China . "Its way better than running gassers, thats for sure," the inside linebacker said Monday, when the Chargers started their third and final week of organized team activities, which are practices in shorts, jerseys and helmets.The Minnesota Wild aim to stay alive in their Western Conference first round series on Monday, as they host the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6 at Xcel Energy Center. You can watch the game on TSN and TSN GO at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt. Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo joins the NHL on TSN Panel to offer his analysis on the game. Playing at home has meant everything so far in this best-of-seven series, with the host winning the first five tests. Colorado broke a 2-2 deadlock with an OT win in Saturdays Game 6 at the Pepsi Center, and the Wild hope the trend holds true again tonight. If Minnesota can extend the series on Monday, a decisive Game 7 will be played Wednesday in Denver. Colorado, however, could have star forward Matt Duchene back in Game 6. Duchene, who has been sidelined since March 29 with an injured left knee, practiced Sunday and will be a game-time decision on Monday. "If he is back its a huge addition for us," Avs forward Ryan OReilly said. "Hes been one of our best players all year, and for me, he really helps create offense playing on a line. He brings so much to the table it makes it a lot difficult for them (opponents)." Duchene led the Avs with 70 points (23 goals, 47 assists) in 71 games this season. The 23-year-old centermans only career playoff action came in a six- game run with Colorado against San Jose in the 2010 conference quarterfinals. Duchene had three assists in those six games. After winning the first two games on home ice, Colorado allowed Minnesota to tie the series at 2-2 with two straight victories in St. Paul. However, the Avalanche were able to regain their advantage on Saturday with a comeback victory. Nathan MacKinnons terrific rookie season continued, as the leading candidate for the Calder Trophy scored 3:27 into OT to lift Colorado to a 4-3 win in Game 5. MacKinnon also added two assists after being held without a point in consecutive losses at Minnesota. He had a goal and six assists in the first two games at Pepsi Center. Before getting the game-winning marker from MacKinnon, Colorado had to tie the game late in the third period. In a bad break for the Wild, the game-tying goal shouldnt have counted based on video review as Paul Stastny narrrowly beat a puck-carrying MacKinnon into the Minnesota zone.dddddddddddd. However, the play wasnt blown dead for an offside. With play allowed to continue, MacKinnon chipped the puck ahead to Stastny, who snapped a shot from below the left circle that Wild goaltender Darcy Kuemper turned away. Stastny then gathered the rebound and slipped the puck into the slot, where P.A. Parenteau fired the puck home with 1:14 remaining in regulation for his first career playoff goal. "It is what it is, but to sit here and dwell on it, I dont think is going to do us any good," said Wild head coach Mike Yeo. "Obviously frustrating, obviously disappointing, but bottom line is, its not going to do us any good." In overtime, MacKinnon handled a pass from Gabriel Landeskog in the left circle, made a move around Wild defenseman Marco Scandella and scored on a shot to the top right corner. "I was kind of screaming for the puck from Landy. He obviously made a good heads-up play to me," MacKinnon said. "(Stastny) looked great on the forecheck. I kind of just fired it to the net and I dont know if it tipped off one of their defenders or not, but Im definitely very fortunate for the win." MacKinnon (18 years, 237 days) is the second-youngest player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in the playoffs. Don Gallinger was 17 years, 339 days when he scored an OT winner for Boston on March 21, 1943 against Montreal "We knew when we drafted him what kind of player we were drafting, and he had a solid game again tonight," Colorado head coach Patrick Roy said about MacKinnon. Semyon Varlamov made 29 saves for Colorado, but the best save belonged to Avalanche defenseman Nick Holden, who prevented a goal in the extra session by blocking a Matt Moulson shot. Kuemper surrendered four goals on 35 shots after facing a combined 34 shots in the previous two games. This is the third all-time playoff meeting between the clubs. The Wild won a 2003 conference quarterfinals matchup in seven games, while the Avalanche knocked off Minnesota in six games during the same round in 2008. Thirteen of the 18 all-time playoff games between Colorado and Minnesota have been decided by one goal. ' ' '