WASHINGTON -- First baseman Ryan Zimmerman squeezed the ball as Chris Owings grounded out to end the game with the tying run on base in the top of the ninth.

A few seconds later, reliever Jacob Turner motioned for the baseball and veteran Zimmerman quickly obliged.

Turner earned the souvenir Wednesday night as the veteran right-hander threw four innings of scoreless ball and allowed just two hits with four strikeouts out of the bullpen as the first-place Washington Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1.

"That is the guy you want to talk to," said Washington starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez, motioning toward Turner's locker in the clubhouse. "Jacob did the job; he saved the bullpen. He pitched his tail off."

Turner came to spring training on a minor-league deal but now may be a savior for the Washington bullpen, which struggled mightily in the first month of the season.

"He was aggressive in the bottom of the zone," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of Turner. "You have to tip your hat to him. His stuff came out hot. He had command on both edges of the plate."

Zimmerman broke up a tie with an RBI double in the sixth inning, spoiling a strong start by Robbie Ray.

Zimmerman lined a double to center off Ray to score Bryce Harper and give Washington a 2-1 lead. Zimmerman was 2-for-3, giving him a 10-game hitting streak and at least two hits for the sixth game in a row. He is hitting .427 this season.

"I have watched him for a long time. He has always had an impressive approach. He doesn't miss when he is hot like this," Lovullo said.

The winning pitcher was Turner (1-0), who made only his third appearance of the season and second out of the bullpen. He made his major-league debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2011, and last year with the Chicago White Sox he pitched in 18 games, with two starts, and had a 6.57 ERA.

The loser was Ray (2-2), a former Washington minor leaguer who struck out 10 and yielded two runs and four hits. Owings had two hits for Arizona, including a home run in the first.

"It was an unfortunate game for him," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of Ray. "He threw the ball extremely well. He made pitches when he had to. We just didn't execute behind him in a few situations."

Arizona became the first team in major-league history to strike out at least 10 batters in nine straight games. Ray got his 10th strikeout in the sixth as he fanned Jayson Werth but two batters later, Zimmerman had his big hit.

Ray, using a fastball in the mid-90s, got off to a fabulous start as he fanned the first five Washington hitters.

"Ray did a great job," Gonzalez said. "He pitched his tail off."

Said Ray: "It felt good. I felt everything was working for me today. And really I could throw whatever I wanted in any count and it was gonna do what I wanted it to."

He was given a 1-0 cushion in the first on a homer by Owings, who went deep for the fifth time this season.

The Nationals finally broke through in the third as Michael A. Taylor led off with a triple that Arizona left fielder Yasmany Tomas appeared to lose in the lights. Two batters later, Gonzalez drove in Taylor with a groundout to tie the game at 1.

"He lost the ball in the lights. He needs to get up and chase that ball," Lovullo said. "We have addressed it."

Gonzalez fanned Brandon Drury for the third time to leave the bases loaded in the fifth. But he was lifted after allowing three hits, one run and seven walks with eight strikeouts in five innings.

The improved pace on the mound has aided Gonzalez this season. Despite lasting only five innings he now has a 1.64 ERA.

"It is pretty good when you are throwing strikes and winning," manager Dusty Baker said of the pace of Gonzalez.

NOTES: Washington RHP Max Scherzer (3-2, 2.94 ERA) will face Arizona RHP Braden Shipley on Thursday as Shipley makes his 2017 major-league debut. ... Several players and coaches with the Diamondbacks visited the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., before the game. The group included two of Wednesday's starters: 1B Paul Goldschmidt and SS Nick Ahmed. ... Sen. John McCain of Arizona attended the game.