Kown, Senators throw two-hitter
Kown (3-4) struck out four and allowed only one hit over six innings, a two-out single in the first inning to recently promoted Giants prospect Brandon Belt.
Cole Kimball came on in the seventh and allowed another base hit to Belt before retiring the next five batters in order. Zech Zinicola pitched the ninth, working around a walk and an error to seal the two-hitter.
Kown, signed by the Nationals in 2008, set down 10 consecutive batters after the first before Brad Boyer reached on a fielding error by second baseman Michael Martinez to begin the fifth. He induced an inning-ending double play and cruised through the sixth in order to finish his night.
The 6-foot-7 Georgia Tech product needed the outing after getting roughed up for seven runs in his last start, a loss to Trenton on July 2.
The 27-year-old Kown had allowed 11 earned runs in his previous two starts before shutting down the Flying Squirrels on Wednesday, picking up his first win since June 15.
He helped himself in the third, lining a leadoff single and scoring on Boyer's throwing error. Jesus Valdez added a two-run homer in the fifth, his fourth, and Tim Pahuta added a solo shot in the eighth.
Kown, from Marietta, Ga., was originally selected by Detroit in the fifth round of the 2004 Draft, but was released by the organization when he was with Double-A Erie in July 2008. He signed with Washington, re-signed as a free agent in 2009 and has since made it up to Triple-A each of the past two seasons.