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Bay's game-winning home run lifts Pirates past Nationals

Jun 7, 2007 - 8:59 PM WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Jason Bay hit the game-winning home run off closer Chad Cordero as the Pittsburgh Pirates posted a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon.

With the game tied in the top of the ninth inning, Bay belted a 1-1 offering for his 11th homer of the season to right-center off Cordero (1-1) to lift the Pirates.

It was Bay's fifth career homer against the Nationals. The 6-2 Canadian now has three home runs and six RBI through the first week of June - spanning seven outings.

"It was a fastball. I don't know that it got high enough in this big ballpark," Bay said. "I think my screaming at it to go over helped a little bit."

Bay's home run also broke a 12-inning scoreless streak by Cordero.

"It was the last thing on my mind against Cordero," Bay said. "I was trying for a single, double - home runs happen when you're not trying to hit them."

Matt Capps (3-2) pitched two scoreless innings to record his first win since a 3-2 triumph against the Chicago Cubs on April 30.

Pittsburgh stater Ian Snell yielded just two runs and three hits in seven innings. The righthander struck out seven and walked three to remain winless in two career starts against Washington.

"They were swinging at everything - especially Dmitri Young," Snell said. "When you get players swinging at everything, pitch counts are going to be low."

Young delivered a two-run shot to center against Snell to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead. It was Young's fifth homer this season and is batting .508 in his last 18 games.

However, Pittsburgh got those runs back against starter Matt Chico in the next frame. Snell walked and scored two batters later when Freddy Sanchez stroked a two-run blast in the third to tie the game at 2-2.

"That made me work harder - it gives me a chance to win the game," Snell said. "It made me step up a little bit more."

Pittsburgh manager Jim Tracy thought the turning point of the game was Sanchez's homer.

"When Freddy hits the home run - all of a sudden goes Ian Snell - everything just turns on," Tracy said.

The base hit helped Sanchez extend his hitting streak to eight games. He went 1-for-4 in raising his average to .297 on the campaign.

Chico gave up two runs and four hits in seven innings for his fourth straight no-decision. The lefthander struck out five and walked three in his first career meeting against the Pirates.

"I didn't have my command and I wanted to get a strike," Chico said. "I left it right over the middle. It was two runs. I just tried to give the offense a chance to win the game."

Pittsburgh had a chance to take the lead in the eighth as pinch hitter Nate McLouth singled and advanced to third on a sacrifice and flyout against reliever Jesus Colome. But the Dominican righthander got Sanchez to groundout, ending the threat.

Washington manager Manny Acta pulled second baseman Felipe Lopez for not running out a ground ball in the fifth inning. Lopez is mired in a 3-for-30 slump.

"We've said it from the beginning. We're going to play hard," Acta said. "We're probably going to have to outhustle the opposition. It's not going to be tolerated, no matter who you are."

Lopez left the clubhouse without talking to reporters.