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Meeting with Pirates revives Nationals' offense

Jun 11, 2008 - 1:18 PM Washington (26-40) at Pittsburgh (31-34) 7:05 p.m. EDT

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- A meeting with the Pittsburgh Pirates is exactly what the Washington Nationals needed to get their offense on track.

The Nationals try to continue the hit parade on Wednesday when they face the Pirates in the middle contest of a three-game series.

Washington snapped a four-game losing streak by pounding 14 hits, including five home runs, en route to a 7-6 victory over Pittsburgh during the series opener on Tuesday.

The Nationals, who rank last in the majors with a .235 batting average, had been outscored, 25-6, over its losing streak, logging a dismal .213 average.

But, with Tuesday's win, Washington has scored 28 runs while posting a .322 average en route to a 4-1 record against the Pirates this season.

John Lannan (4-6, 3.47 ERA) tries to give the Nationals back-to-back wins and end a two-game losing streak of his own when he takes the mound on Wednesday.

Lannan has allowed just seven total runs over his last three starts but has been given just four runs of support over that span.

Ian Snell (2-6, 5.65) counters for the Pirates seeking his first win since April 12.