SAN DIEGO -- The spotlight was on Stephen Strasburg Saturday night at Petco Park.

But it was Travis Wood and Yangervis Solarte who stole the show.

Pitching for the first time in 19 days, Nationals right-hander Strasburg made one mistake over six strong innings Saturday night.

But Solarte hit that mistake for a decisive two-run homer because Wood overcame a strange first inning to allow one run on three hits over seven innings to out-pitch Strasburg.

"I've never had an inning quite like the first tonight," said Wood, who needed 36 pitches to get out of a scoreless first that included a 13-pitch duel with Anthony Rendon that ended with the Nationals third baseman drawing a two-out walk.

"I threw some really good pitches and he kept fouling them off," Wood said of the Rendon battle. "Toward the end of the at-bat, he was looking out and we were both smiling and shrugging."

After getting the first two hitters in the first, Wood issued back-to-back walks to Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman before getting Howie Kendrick to line out to right to end the inning.

Then came the first of two streaks by Padres pitchers. Wood (3-4 overall and 2-1 with the Padres) retired the next nine Nationals he faced after the walks before Kendrick got Washington's first hit -- a two-out single in the fourth.

And at the end of the game, Wood, after giving up an unearned win in the fifth, and relievers Kirby Yates and Brad Hand (his 11th save) retired the last 13 Nationals they faced.

The game essentially ended in the first when Solarte followed a two-out single by Jose Pirela with a two-run homer off Strasburg (10-4), who had been out since his last start on July 23 due to a nerve impingement in his left elbow.

Strasburg allowed two runs on four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in six innings. He threw 91 pitches with 61 strikes.

Solarte's 13th homer of the season, a 406-foot drive to right-center, came on a 1-and-2 fastball. It was Solarte's first homer since Aug. 8 and only his second since July 30 -- when he returned after missing 33 games with a left oblique strain.

"It was coming out good," Strasburg said of his pitches. "It was just getting the rust off a little bit. Obviously, with two strikes, I have to put Solarte away. I have to make a better pitch than that. But other than that, my curveball was good and my changeup was really good.

"I felt strong, so obviously it was still there. I'll probably be back to 100 percent next time. You don't really like taking time off. But sometimes you just got to make a good decision and take a step back to go two steps forward."

"He threw the ball well," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said of Strasburg, who is a native of San Diego and played for the late Tony Gwynn at San Diego State. "You wouldn't even know he had been out.

"I think this time off helped him. And hopefully, it can help him down the stretch and beyond. He did look fresh. He had good tempo. He had real good command. He just made that mistake in the first inning when he was ahead in the count and just got the ball over the plate. Other than that, he threw great. "

"You have to go in mentally thinking it was going to come out the way it did," said Solarte. "I know he throws a lot of curves, but sometimes with two strikes he uses the fastball like he did there."

Strasburg was really good," said Padres manager Andy Green. "Pirela had two singles on heaters down and away. Solarte squared that one up. Other than that, nothing."

Strasburg retired the next 10 Padres he faced after Solarte's homer before Cory Spangenberg legged out an infield single to open the fifth. Strasburg then struck out the side.

Washington scored in the fifth after Jose Lobaton singled with one out. Strasburg then sacrificed Lobaton to a second with a bunt that Wood fielded, only to draw second baseman Carlos Asuaje off the bag at first for an error. After Wood struck out Andrew Stevenson, Adrian Sanchez doubled home Lobaton to halve the Padres lead.

The Padres widened their lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh against the Nationals bullpen.

Walks to Wil Myers and Jabari Blash around a single by Spangenberg loaded the bases against left-hander Sammy Solis with none out. Right-hander Matt Albers replaced Solis and got Austin Hedges to ground into a double play with Myers scoring. Pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez then flew out to left to end the inning after hitting two long fouls.

Padres right-hander Kirby Yates struck out the side in the eighth. Hand struck out two of the three Nationals he faced.

NOTES: The Padres optioned RF Hunter Renfroe, who had started 107 of the first 122 games, to Triple-A El Paso Saturday. Renfroe was hitting .230 with 20 homers in 404 at-bats, but also had only a .285 on-base percentage with 125 strikeouts. To replace Renfroe, the Padres recalled OF Jabari Blash from El Paso. ... Jack McKeon, the Padres' former general manager (1980-90) and manager (1988-90), was the 14th inductee into the Padres Hall of Fame Saturday. ... The Nationals rested 2B Daniel Murphy Saturday due to "general leg soreness" and manager Dusty Baker said he might also rest Murphy Sunday ahead of Monday's scheduled day off. SS Wilmer Difo also got the start off Saturday night, although he entered the game in the ninth.