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Nationals-Pirates Preview

Jul 31, 2009 - 12:11 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Washington (32-69) at Pittsburgh (43-58), 7:05 p.m. EDT

If there were any doubts the Pittsburgh Pirates were in full rebuilding mode, they've made their stance quite clear over the past few days.

After purging five veterans in deals prior to baseball's trade deadline, the Pirates will have a different look yet again Friday night as they open a four-game set at PNC Park against the Washington Nationals.

Pittsburgh (43-58) has tied a major league record with 16 consecutive losing seasons and after making a flurry of moves over the past few months, No. 17 appears inevitable.

Rather than attempt to avoid the shame that will come with a potential 82nd loss in 2009, the Pirates have held a full-scale fire sale. All-Star Nate McLouth was the first to go in early June as he was shipped to Atlanta in a four-player deal.

Speedy outfielder Nyjer Morgan and reliever Sean Burnett were dealt to the Nationals (32-70) late last month, and the Pirates sent first baseman Adam LaRoche to Boston on July 22.

Shortstop Jack Wilson, who had been in Pittsburgh since 2001, was traded along with starter Ian Snell to Seattle on Wednesday morning, hours before the Pirates completed their three-game series in San Francisco. Immediately after the 1-0, 10-inning loss - Pittsburgh's fifth in a row - it was announced Sanchez, a three-time All-Star, had been traded to the Giants.

"This is how we are going to win, how we are going to rebuild this franchise," general manager Neal Huntington told the Pirates' official Web site. "We have no interest of getting to .500 once and then losing for five years. Our goal is to put a team on the field year in and year out to keep talent in the system."

Huntington also traded reliever John Grabow and Triple-A starter Tom Gorzelanny - who won 14 games in the majors in 2007 - to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.

Of the nine players acquired in the three deals this week, only starter Kevin Hart - acquired from the Cubs - and shortstop Ronny Cedeno will immediately head to Pittsburgh.

Catcher Ryan Doumit is the only player from the Pirates' 2008 opening-day lineup still with the team.

"We don't feel like we've broken up the '27 Yankees," Huntington said of his club, which has been shut out three times during its current five-game losing streak.

Another player who may find himself in a Pirates uniform for the first time Friday is Lastings Milledge, who was acquired along with reliever Joel Hanrahan for Morgan and Burnett but has spent the past month in Triple-A. Milledge, a one-time top prospect with the New York Mets, hit .263 in 145 games with the Nationals.

Morgan, meanwhile, is hitting .404 with 18 runs scored and 14 stolen bases in 24 games with Washington. He's batting .545 (18 for 33) during an eight-game hitting streak, and had three of his team's five hits Thursday in a 7-3 loss at Milwaukee, where the Nationals split four games.

"There's a lot of disappointment in there that we didn't win at least three out of four," said manager Jim Riggleman, who's 6-9 since taking over for the fired Manny Acta.

Ross Ohlendorf (8-8, 4.51 ERA) hadn't worked six innings in any of his first three July starts, but did exactly that Saturday at Arizona, allowing three runs - two earned. The Pirates' offense was silent, however, and Ohlendorf got charged with a 7-0 loss.

Ohlendorf gave up five runs and six hits over five innings in a 6-5 win at Washington on May 18.

John Lannan (7-7, 3.25) will counter for the Nationals looking to build on two brilliant outings. He tossed a complete-game shutout in a win over the New York Mets on July 21, then gave up one run over eight innings Sunday against San Diego but did not earn a decision.

Lannan, who has a 5.51 ERA on the road, yielded one run in seven innings against Pittsburgh at home on May 20.