Final
Pirates latest to pick on poor Nationals, win 12-7
May 19, 2009 - 4:05 AM By JOSEPH WHITE AP Sports WriterWASHINGTON(AP) -- Jack Wilson already had a single and a pair of doubles when he ripped his first triple of the year, a drive into the right-field corner in the eighth inning.
"I'm not going to lie," the 31-year-old shortstop said. "I got to third base and said, 'I'm getting old."'
Not to worry. After all, it was a near certainty that the many of the Pittsburgh Pirates would get tired running the bases Monday night. They've been scoring runs aplenty, and no one gives them up like the Washington Nationals.
The Pirates have tallied 30 runs in a three-game winning streak, and they faced little resistance in a 12-7 win that opened a 10-game road trip. The Nationals made four errors and had another lead-blowing bullpen implosion, standard fare for the team with the worst record, pitching and fielding in the majors.
"It was just sad to see the way things are going with our bullpen. I've been in the game for a while, and I've never seen anything like it before," Washington manager Manny Acta said. "We have to change it up because it's not working. We went to young guys, veteran guys, and veterans or young, they're not getting it done."
A five-run sixth inning spurred Pittsburgh's win, which ended an eight-game road losing streak. Ross Ohlendorf (5-3) picked up the victory despite allowing four extra-base hits in a five-run fifth, and Craig Monroe hit a three-run homer.
"We're swinging the bats well," Pittsburgh manager John Russell said.
So are the Nationals, who have lost five straight despite scoring at least five runs in every game. But they also began the day with 37 errors, five more than any team in baseball, and wasted no time padding their lead.
Shortstop Cristian Guzman botched two ordinary ground balls in the first inning, first baseman Nick Johnson missed a pickoff attempt that hit him squarely in the glove in the third, and second baseman Anderson Hernandez bounced a relay throw that should have nailed a runner coming home in the sixth. All this from a team that lost Sunday when Hernandez moved out of the way of a throw on a bunt play, leading to a two-run error that cost his team the game.
The bullpen was also up to its usual antics.
Reliever No. 1, Garrett Mock (0-2), had a walk, a wild pitch, a hit batter and allowed Wilson's tying two-RBI double in just 15 pitches in the sixth inning. Reliever No. 2, Jesus Colome, allowed three hits in five batters as his ERA ballooned to 22.50.
At least the boos weren't loud in the mostly empty ballpark. The sparse crowd of 14,549 indicated that many in the D.C. area were unaware of the significance of the game, the first in major league history to have two starting pitchers with the first name Ross.
Nationals 2007 first-round draft pick Ross Detwiler, making his first major league start after getting recalled from Double-A earlier in the day, struck out six and allowed three runs and four hits in five innings.
Given the state of his bullpen, Acta was asked why he didn't let the rookie keep pitching.
"If I have to keep a Double-A guy out there because I don't want to go to my big league bullpen," Acta said, "then that's really scary."
Notes: Guzman had two hits to raise his average to .385. The team's leadoff hitter, he finally drew his first walk of the season, getting a fifth-inning pass in his 122nd plate appearance. ... Brandon Moss' pinch-hit double in the sixth provided the game-winning RBI, but it was his only at-bat, ending his streak of five straight multihit games. ... Nationals OF Austin Kearns appeared as a pinch hitter after missing three games with a hand injury, and CF Elijah Dukes sat out with a tight left hamstring. ... Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman has reached safely in 36 straight games.
- NL
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PITTSBURGH 0 0 3 0 0 5 0 1 3 12 12 0
WASHINGTON 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 1 1 7 11 4 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: PIT - ROSS OHLENDORF, JESSE CHAVEZ (6TH), TOM GORZELANNY (7TH), JOHN
GRABOW (8TH), MATT CAPPS (9TH) AND ROBINZON DIAZ
WAS - ROSS DETWILER, GARRETT MOCK (6TH), JESUS
May 18 10:36 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY ADAM DUNN SCORED NICK JOHNSON.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, NONE ON, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 12
WASHINGTON 7 BOTTOM, 9TH
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: J WILLINGHAM (.211, 1-FOR-4)
Pirates 12, Nationals 7 Bot 9, 0 OutsMay 18 10:31 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY RAMON VAZQUEZ SCORED ANDY LAROCHE AND JACK
WILSON.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, R VAZQUEZ ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 12
WASHINGTON 6 TOP, 9TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: D YOUNG (.361, 2-FOR-5, 2 RBI)
Pirates 12, Nationals 6 Top 9, 0 OutsMay 18 10:20 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY ANDY LAROCHE SCORED ADAM LAROCHE.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, A LAROCHE ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 10
WASHINGTON 6 TOP, 9TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: J WILSON (.293, 4-FOR-4, 2 RBI)
Pirates 10, Nationals 6 Top 9, 0 OutsMay 18 10:16 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY JOSH BARD SCORED WILLIE HARRIS.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J BARD ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 9
WASHINGTON 6 BOTTOM, 8TH
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: R BELLIARD (.200, 0-FOR-1)
Pirates 9, Nationals 6 Bot 8, 0 OutsMay 18 10:03 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY DELWYN YOUNG SCORED JACK WILSON.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, D YOUNG ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 9
WASHINGTON 5 TOP, 8TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: F SANCHEZ (.309, 1-FOR-4)
Pirates 9, Nationals 5 Top 8, 0 OutsMay 18 9:45 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY NATE MCLOUTH SCORED DELWYN YOUNG.
SITUATION: 5 RUNS IN, N MCLOUTH ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 8
WASHINGTON 5 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: C MONROE (.256, 1-FOR-3, HR, 3 RBI)
Pirates 8, Nationals 5 Top 6, 0 OutsMay 18 9:06 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY DELWYN YOUNG SCORED BRANDON MOSS.
SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, D YOUNG ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 7
WASHINGTON 5 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: F SANCHEZ (.311, 1-FOR-3)
Pirates 7, Nationals 5 Top 6, 0 OutsMay 18 9:01 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY BRANDON MOSS SCORED JACK WILSON.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, B MOSS ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 6
WASHINGTON 5 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: D YOUNG (.324, 0-FOR-3)
Pirates 6, Nationals 5 Top 6, 0 OutsMay 18 8:59 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY JACK WILSON SCORED ADAM LAROCHE AND ROBINZON
DIAZ.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J WILSON ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 5
WASHINGTON 5 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: R OHLENDORF (.059, 0-FOR-2)
Pirates 5, Nationals 5 Top 6, 0 OutsMay 18 8:54 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY RYAN ZIMMERMAN (10) TO CENTER WITH 2 OUT
IN THE 5TH OFF ROSS OHLENDORF.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 3, WASHINGTON 5
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: A DUNN (.290, 0-FOR-1, BB)
Pirates 3, Nationals 5 Bot 5, 0 OutsMay 18 8:43 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
THREE-RUN HOME RUN BY NICK JOHNSON (4) TO RIGHT WITH 2 OUT
IN THE 5TH OFF ROSS OHLENDORF SCORED JOSH BARD AND CRISTIAN GUZMAN.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 3, WASHINGTON 4
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: R ZIMMERMAN (.352, 0-FOR-2)
Pirates 3, Nationals 4 Bot 5, 0 OutsMay 18 8:41 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY JOSH BARD SCORED WILLIE HARRIS.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J BARD ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 3
WASHINGTON 1 BOTTOM, 5TH
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: R DETWILER (.000, 0-FOR-1)
Pirates 3, Nationals 1 Bot 5, 0 OutsMay 18 8:32 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
THREE-RUN HOME RUN BY CRAIG MONROE (3) TO CENTER WITH 1 OUT
IN THE 3RD OFF ROSS DETWILER SCORED FREDDY SANCHEZ AND NATE
MCLOUTH.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 3, WASHINGTON 0
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: AD LAROCHE (.234, 0-FOR-1)
Pirates 3, Nationals 0 Top 3, 0 OutsMay 18 7:57 PM
Related News
- Washington Nationals news & notes: Getting more pitching in 2024 + more... Dec 26
- Pirates Top Games of 2023: No. 6 - Drew Maggi gets his moment Dec 23
- The Pirates got it right with Andrew McCutchen Dec 22
- Bucs Arghticles: Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen makes comments after signing Dec 22
- Pirates targeting first baseman in upcoming MLB Draft Dec 22
- Washington Nationals news & notes: Keibert Ruiz, CS% and more… Dec 22
- Bucs Arghticles: Pirates sign Ryan Mattson Dec 21
- Washington Nationals news & notes: Stephen Strasburg retirement?; 40-man spot + more... Dec 21
- Pirates Top Games of 2023: No. 7 - Johan Oviedo shuts out the Royals Dec 20
- Andrew McCutchen re-signs with Pirates for 2024 season Dec 19
- Talk the Plank Podcast: The Pirates are a bit ‘Rowdy’ Dec 19
- Washington Nationals news & notes: Joey Meneses & DH duties vs playing the field… Dec 19