Moore makes the Bucs pay (Nats win 6-2)

Moore makes the Bucs pay (Nats win 6-2)
PITTSBURGH - Given the way Adam LaRoche has been swinging the bat the last few days, and the way Tyler Moore has struggled to put the bat on the ball the last couple days, you can't really blame the Pirates for intentionally walking LaRoche to get to Moore with first base open in the top of the eighth inning. Just like yesterday, Moore was off to a rough start today, striking out in all three at-bats this afternoon, all three looking. But after falling behind in the count 0-2 with two...
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Span back in Nats lineup, Ramos starts again

Span back in Nats lineup, Ramos starts again
PITTSBURGH - After missing yesterday's game with a sore right ankle/foot, Denard Span has returned to the Nationals lineup for this afternoon's series finale at PNC Park. Span nearly fell to the ground when he woke up yesterday morning, the pain in his lower ankle area having intensified overnight. He got a day of rest yesterday and woke up this morning feeling much better. He'll return to the leadoff spot and play center field. Jayson Werth will miss his third straight game with left...
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Span out of Nats lineup, Espinosa leading off

Span out of Nats lineup, Espinosa leading off
PITTSBURGH - A day after fouling a ball off his right ankle, Denard Span is out of the Nationals' lineup. Danny Espinosa will move into the leadoff spot for this afternoon's 4:05 p.m. game against the Pirates, and Roger Bernadina will play center with Span out. Span had a bandage on his right ankle, directly above the top of his foot, after last night's game. He played all nine innings last night but looked to be favoring the ankle a bit after the game. Jayson Werth will miss his second...
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Not scoring many runs, not getting many breaks

Not scoring many runs, not getting many breaks
PITTSBURGH - Since some of you might have missed the stats I shared last night on Andrew McCutchen's dominance against the Nationals, I feel the need to pass them along again. Sorry. While it might sting to look at these numbers, they're so ridiculous that I feel like they have to be shared. In 24 career games against the Nats, McCutchen is batting .456 (41-for-89) with 11 home runs, 22 RBIs and an insane 1.448 OPS. "He's not going to hit a home run every time," said Ross Detwiler, who...
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Don't pitch to Andrew McCutchen (Nats lose 3-1)

Don't pitch to Andrew McCutchen (Nats lose 3-1)
PITTSBURGH - Get ready for some offensive numbers that will wow you. They might also make you shake your head in disgust. Over 24 career games against the Nationals, Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen is now batting .455 with 11 home runs and 22 RBIs. McCutchen has gone 2-for-2 tonight with a solo home run and a single, accounting for the lone Pirates run off Ross Detwiler and two-thirds of Pittsburgh's hits on the evening. It was really enjoyable watching McCutchen take cuts in the...
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Meyers' deception could be key change of pace

Meyers' deception could be key change of pace
The Nationals got Brad Meyers back from the Yankees, who took him in the Rule 5 draft and then returned him. Meyers pitched only one game last year after an early-season workout injury shelved his season. Now he is good to go and is excited to be back with the Nationals' organization. Triple-A Syracuse manager Tony Beasley had Meyers at Double-A Harrisburg a couple of years ago for a while before Meyers was called up to the Chiefs. Beasley said Meyers doesn't have the classic,...
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Comeback bid comes up short

Comeback bid comes up short
Down 4-0 in the sixth inning and getting no-hit, the Nationals woke up and pounded out three runs to make it a ballgame and chase Pirates starter James McDonald. They just couldn't do quite enough to get over that final hump to even things up or take the lead. The Nats missed out on a couple late opportunities, leaving a runner stranded at third to end the sixth, then stranding runners at second and third in the seventh, and they fell to the Pirates 5-3. Washington hitters struck out 14...
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There goes the no-hitter... and the shutout

There goes the no-hitter... and the shutout
Remember when James McDonald had a no-hitter through five innings? That seems so long ago. McDonald, who had a perfect game through four innings and had struck out 10 through five, had a disastrous sixth inning, allowing three runs on four hits. He got pulled from the game with two outs in the sixth, ending an outing which had started in dominating fashion. Jesus Flores was the one to get it all rolling for the Nationals, with his leadoff double in the sixth breaking up McDonald's no-no and...
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McDonald dominant; McCutchen, Barajas continue to kill Nats

McDonald dominant; McCutchen, Barajas continue to kill Nats
Andrew McCutchen entered today hitting .439 in 23 career games against the Nationals. Rod Barajas came into tonight's game batting just .188 on the season, but was the one who smacked the walk-off two-run home run off Henry Rodriguez last week. Both guys continued terrorizing the Nats tonight. McCutchen smacked a solo homer off Jordan Zimmermann in the first inning to put the Pirates up 1-0. The blast gave him a ridiculous nine homers and 20 RBIs in 23 games against Washington. Those are...
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Strasburg must love the Pirates (Nats win 4-2)

Strasburg must love the Pirates (Nats win 4-2)
I have a feeling most pitchers enjoy facing the Pirates. They've scored by far the fewest runs in the majors and are hitting just .227 as a team. Any pitcher would love to go against that group. Stephen Strasburg really, really loves to face Pittsburgh. Strasburg has struck out seven straight Bucs hitters, and has faced the minimum as we go to the fourth inning. Dating back to his last start against the Pirates - which just happened to be his dazzling major league debut - Strasburg has...
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Bernadina hitting second, Espinosa hitting sixth

Bernadina hitting second, Espinosa hitting sixth
Davey Johnson has made a couple lineup changes, all right. The Nationals' skipper has tweaked his batting order for tonight's series finale against the Pirates, putting Roger Bernadina in the No. 2 spot and dropping Bryce Harper to fifth. Danny Espinosa will start at second base tonight and will protect Harper in the order, hitting sixth. This is now the fourth spot in the lineup that Harper has at-bats. He's previously hit seventh, third and second. Here are the lineups for both...
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Blown chances plague Nats in 4-2 loss

Blown chances plague Nats in 4-2 loss
You'd think the Nationals caught a break when Pirates starter Erik Bedard, who entered the game with a 2.65 ERA, was pulled after just an inning-plus due to a back injury. That left the Nats eight innings to battle against Pittsburgh's bullpen. You'd think the Nats would have a decent shot at tying the game when they loaded the bases with just one out in the eighth, trailing 3-2. You'd think that if a Washington starter (Ross Detwiler, for example) allowed three runs in six innings - a...
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Wacky third inning puts Nats in a hole (instant update)

Wacky third inning puts Nats in a hole (instant update)
We had a strikeout of the pitcher, who then reached on a wild pitch. We had a ball deflect off Ross Detwiler and go for a single. We had a 5-2-6 putout in which a runner was tagged out trying to score. We had a runner score from second on an infield single. Yeah, it was a strange bottom of the third inning. The Pirates lead 3-0 after three, and despite the fact that Pittsburgh starter Erik Bedard was pulled in the top of the second inning due to an apparent injury, the Nats still don't...
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Moore to start in left field, Harper to center

Moore to start in left field, Harper to center
Those wanting Tyler Moore to get a shot at more playing time, here you go. Moore will start in left field and hit seventh for the Nationals in tonight's game against the Pirates. It will be the rookie's second major league start, both of which will have been in left. With the Nats facing a left-hander in Erik Bedard, Davey Johnson is going with a lineup stacked with right-handed hitters. He'll put Moore in left and Xavier Nady in right field, with Bryce Harper moving over to center and...
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Rodriguez's blown save costs Nats

Rodriguez's blown save costs Nats
Adam LaRoche was all set up to be the hero tonight, as his two-run homer leading off the ninth - the 1,000th home run in Nationals team history - gave the Nats a 4-3 lead. Then Henry Rodriguez got the road jitters yet again. Rodriguez allowed a walk-off, two-run homer to Rod Barajas (a .141 hitter this season), giving the Pirates a shocking 5-4 win. It's Rodriguez's second blown save on the season, both of which have come on the road. Rodriguez hasn't allowed a run and has given up just...
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Jackson done after seven strong (Nats come back in ninth)

Jackson done after seven strong (Nats come back in ninth)
Outside of the two long solo homers allowed by Edwin Jackson tonight, he really delivered a strong outing. The Nationals starter went seven innings, allowing just the two solo shots to Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones in the fourth inning. He gave up just three Pirates hits, walked one and struck out five. The pitches to McCutchen and Jones were both demolished, but little else tonight was hit hard by Pirates hitters. Unfortunately for Jackson, he finds himself in a tie game as he watches...
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Rodriguez's pinch-hit RBI single finishes off Pirates in nightcap, 4-3

Rodriguez's pinch-hit RBI single finishes off Pirates in nightcap, 4-3
The Nationals new field manager continues to push the right buttons and his team again finds a way to come back late in the game for another stunning victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3, before 39,638 at Nationals Park, earning a split of the Saturday double dip. Davey Johnson pinch hit veteran Ivan Rodriguez in the bottom of the eighth inning with two men on. He battled Pirates reliever Tony Watson for an RBI single that scored Rick Ankiel with the eventual winning run. Drew Storen...
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Johnson still has confidence in Burnett after loss to Pirates in Game 1

Johnson still has confidence in Burnett after loss to Pirates in Game 1
The Nationals dropped the doubleheader opener to the Pirates, 5-3, on a pair of home runs in the late innings that broke open a close contest. Livan Hernandez had kept the Nationals close, but unlike Friday, it was Pittsburgh that had the late game heroics. Manager Davey Johnson was pleased with the way Hernandez stayed in the game. He was able to get to the eighth inning, but Sean Burnett allowed two home runs that ended up deciding the game. "(Hernandez) battled them," Johnson said. "I...
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Gorzelanny's seven innings finally pays off for Nationals

Gorzelanny's seven innings finally pays off for Nationals
This game could have very easily gotten away from starter Tom Gorzelanny. But Gorzelanny beared down when it mattered most, notching eight strikeouts, most of them in the game's deciding moments. Because of his seven innings and only one unearned run allowed, the Nationals were in the game they eventually won in the bottom of the ninth, 2-1, over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Nationals Park. The best chance the Pirates had of a big inning occurred in the third when mistakes by Gorzelanny and...
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Lannan learning to battle through early adversity

Lannan learning to battle through early adversity
Nationals' left-hander John Lannan fought through Monday night's start against the Pittsburgh Pirates when everything wasn't clicking like he had hoped. He was giving up base hits. His fastball wasn't locating, ending up high in the zone. The Pirates had chances to blow the game open early. "I felt good but I was just up," Lannan said. "I told myself to take a deep breath and get down. That is where I am most effective and that is where I am going to get groundballs. That is what I...
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