WASHINGTON – Justin Germano won his fourth consecutive start, Rob Bowen drove in a career-high four runs and the San Diego Padres rode a six-run first inning to an 11-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night.

Germano (4-0) is unbeaten in five starts since being called up from Triple-A Portland to replace the injured Clay Hensley in the Padres’ rotation. Because of his strong start, Germano will stay in the rotation.

Hensley, who was out with a strained right groin, was activated from the 15-day disabled list Friday and optioned to Portland.

Germano allowed three runs and six hits over six innings to help San Diego win for the sixth time in eight games.

Khalil Greene matched a season high with four hits and Paul McAnulty homered for the Padres.

The Padres battered Nationals starter Levale Speigner (1-2) for six hits – two of them coming on mental mistakes on catchable fly balls – en route to a quick 6-0 lead. San Diego sent 11 men to the plate before Speigner drew derisive cheers for cleanly fielding a Terrmel Sledge grounder for the third out.

Marcus Giles drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second when center fielder Nook Logan broke back, allowing Sledge’s pop fly to fall in front of him for a single. Adrian Gonzalez lifted a fly to short left field and neither left fielder Ryan Church nor shortstop Cristian Guzman took charge as the ball dropped between them, loading the bases.

Mike Cameron struck out, but Kevin Kouzmanoff and Greene had RBI singles before another run scored on a fielder’s choice when third baseman Ryan Zimmerman’s wide throw to second pulled Felipe Lopez off the bag. Bowen hit a sacrifice fly, Germano poked an run-scoring single to right and Giles singled home another run.

Speigner, who was 0-0 with a 14.81 ERA in three previous starts, lasted four innings, giving up six runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out three.

Washington averted its third shutout in five games in the sixth. Guzman hit a two-out triple and scored on Zimmerman’s single up the middle. Dmitri Young followed with his fifth homer, a shot into the mezzanine in right-center.

Bowen had a three-run, bases-loaded double in the seventh. McAnulty hit a two-run homer off Ray King in the ninth.

Notes: Germano got his first major league hit and RBI in the first and his first extra-base hit, a double, in the sixth. … Young grounded out to end the first, halting a franchise record-tying streak of hits in eight consecutive plate appearances.

AP-ES-06-02-07 2148EDT