A few items to pass along in the sixth inning of the Nationals-Giants series finale: —Ryan Zimmerman was able to start doing shoulder exercises today, a good sign that the small labral tear in his left shoulder is starting to heal. Zimmerman is still on anti-inflammatory medication and was scheduled to be examined by Dr. Ben Shaffer today (we’re waiting for word on how that went), but it appears doubtful the third baseman will need surgery. He said he’s prepared to play through pain as long as he can be effective. It will probably be a week before Zimmerman can start hitting, but he’s itching to get back. —Ronnie Belliard will rejoin the Nationals on the road after finishing a rehab assignment at Class A Potomac. He didn’t have a hit in 12 at-bats with Class AA Harrisburg, but Manny Acta was more concerned that Belliard’s strained left calf had healed and was allowing him to run well, which it is. —Odalis Perez played catch this afternoon, making 20-25 tosses from 50 feet, and will continue to add distance to his games of catch throughout the week. He’ll wait until Thursday before determining whether he can pitch Saturday against the Mariners, but he’s optimistic at this point. Nationals trail 3-1 after five innings here. Tyler Clippard struck out six in a spot start, but struggled with his control and threw 98 pitches in 4 1/3 innings. Washington has four hits off San Francisco starter Matt Cain.
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