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Pirates snap 5-game streak with 5-4 win over Nats

Aug 1, 2009 - 3:09 AM PITTSBURGH(AP) -- In front of his rebuilt former team, Lastings Milledge made a good first impression on the new-look Pittsburgh Pirates.

Milledge had two RBI singles in his Pittsburgh debut, Steve Pearce hit his first homer of the season and the refurbished Pirates snapped a five-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.

"He got off to a good start," Pittsburgh manager John Russell said of Milledge, who was recalled from the minors after a flurry of trades by the Pirates this week. "You get that first hit out of way, the first RBI, first nice play in the outfield, it makes you feel pretty good. He's a very good player. He's a guy we like. He did a good job tonight and we look forward to watching him play the rest of the year."

Ross Ohlendorf (9-8) allowed two runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings, Matt Capps earned his 21st save and Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 3 for the Pirates.

Ryan Zimmerman homered and Cristian Guzman went 2 for 4 with an RBI for the Nationals, who have lost three straight.

The last-place teams met on a trade deadline day that included the first game for their respective watered-down rosters.

Earlier Friday, the Nationals traded first baseman Nick Johnson and reliever Joe Beimel. The Pirates had dealt regulars Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson on Wednesday and reliever John Grabow during an off day Thursday. Pittsburgh had traded starting first baseman Adam LaRoche the day of their previous home game, July 22.

"Obviously, we have a much different team than we had, but I still think we have a team that can do real well," said Ohlendorf, who has started the game following three major Pirates trades this season - all victories. "It takes a lot of courage when you trade popular players away, but this will really help us down the road."

In an added trade-related twist, Milledge faced the team that gave up on him earlier this season, demoting the former top prospect to the minors and trading him along with reliever Joel Hanrahan to Pittsburgh for Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett on June 30.

Milledge's hits came in the third and seventh off Nationals starter John Lannan (7-8), but the left fielder misplayed Guzman's sinking liner into an RBI double with Hanrahan on the mound in the eighth.

Milledge had his left thumb examined by the Pirates' training staff after the play but stayed in the game.

"It's always good to have another opportunity," said Milledge, a one-time top prospect with the New York Mets. "I feel like this time I want to be more precious with it and put things together out there and try to be successful."

With several of their favorite players having been traded this season, Pittsburgh fans gave warmer applause each time the popular Morgan was announced than for anyone on the Pirates.

Morgan popped out to end the game with two on.

"There were a lot of mixed emotions, but mainly real positive," Morgan said. "It definitely felt good to get that ovation from the fans that was very much appreciated.

"I think my emotions left after my first at-bat, but I think they came back in the last at-bat. I kind of got out of my element a little bit. I just wanted to do something special."

Pearce's homer, the fifth of his career, led off the fourth.

Pearce - given a chance to be the everyday first baseman after the LaRoche trade - scored the Pirates' first run when he doubled and was driven in by Andy LaRoche's single in the second. Willie Harris' RBI double gave Washington its only lead in the top of the inning.

"It's been a crazy last couple days, but obviously (general manager Neal Huntington) is not going to do anything to try to have us lose," said Andy LaRoche, Adam's younger brother. "He obviously wants to win just as bad as we do. ... Everybody's counting us out right now, but who knows what's going to happen these last two months? We might surprise some people."

Zimmerman's home run, his 20th, went to deep left-center and led off the seventh. The Nationals scored on Evan Meek's wild pitch in the eighth to cut the deficit to one.

Lannan entered the game having allowed a total of two runs in his past two starts but was charged with more than three earned runs in a game for only the third time in his past 20 outings. He allowed five runs and nine hits in seven innings.

"I had it bad out there today, but I took some positives out of it," Lannan said. "You knew that something was going to happen today. Nick's a great ballplayer and Joe helps any staff. On deadline day, you know a lot of things are going to go down, so it really didn't affect my mentality."

NOTES: The game was also the Pirates' debut for SS Ronny Cedeno, who was acquired in the Wilson trade from Seattle. Cedeno went 1 for 4 and made a nice diving play in the field. ... Entering the game, the entire Pirates lineup combined for 26 home runs this season - the same number as Nationals 1B Adam Dunn, who went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts. ... The Pirates have won five of their past seven at home.