Washington Nationals avoid sweep in Pittsburgh
By Cory Buck
The Washington Nationals had four games to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in PNC Park and they needed all four chances to finally hold off the Bucs and secure a win.
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In so doing, they snapped a rare winning streak for Pittsburgh with a 5-2 win. It didn’t come easy for the Nats though.
They’d squandered an early lead in their three previous games in Pittsburgh, and at times it seemed they’d do that again on Sunday afternoon. Nothing came of it though, and the Nationals at least walk out of Pittsburgh with one win to show for their trouble.
Doug Fister got the win against the Pirates and it wasn’t too tough of a game for a pitcher’s standpoint. The Bucs bats were lethargic on Sunday while the Nationals jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after jumping on starter Francisco Liriano.
They added two more onto that lead in the fifth before the Pittsburgh Pirates scored a run in the bottom of the sixth. The Pirates repeatedly put several men in scoring position, only to leave them stranded.
Where the bats had been the hot for the last few days, they cooled off on a balmy Sunday afternoon.
It’s interesting that the Nats were only able to get a win in Pittsburgh from one of their less heralded starters. Stephen Strasbourg lost his duel with fellow no. 1 overall pick Gerrit Cole the night before.