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Pirates-Nationals Preview

May 17, 2009 - 11:43 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Pittsburgh (15-21) at Washington (11-24), 7:05 p.m. EDT

The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a hard time producing runs this season, but perhaps a breakout inning in their latest game will get their offense started.

If that isn't enough, maybe four games against the Washington Nationals will be.

Riding high after a 10-run inning in the finale of their homestand, the Pirates will embark on a 10-game road trip that starts Monday night in the nation's capital against sputtering Washington, which has seen its opponents have far too many big innings.

Pittsburgh (16-21) had averaged 3.1 runs during a 4-12 stretch from April 29 through a game Saturday against Colorado. In Sunday's series finale it looked like the Pirates were headed for another meek offensive output, as they trailed 4-1 heading to the bottom of the seventh.

Nate McLouth homered to account for Pittsburgh's only run to that point, but in the seventh he singled in two and later doubled in another as part of a 10-run outburst in an 11-4 victory.

It was the first 10-run inning for the Pirates since they did so in a 14-0 win at St. Louis on Aug. 20, 2003.

"Things were going our way that inning," McLouth said, "and sometimes you need that to have an inning like that."

McLouth homered on both Saturday and Sunday, giving him a team-high seven homers and 28 RBIs. Pittsburgh was 17-7 last season went McLouth went deep and is 6-1 when he does it in 2009.

The Pirates' All-Star center fielder has never homered in 20 career games against Washington (11-25), which will be looking to avoid its fifth straight loss.

The Nationals are no strangers to giving up big innings, as they've allowed their opponents to score at least four runs in a frame 17 times. The Phillies didn't do that on Sunday, but they scored three in an inning twice - including the eighth, when they took the lead for good on their way to an 8-6 win and a four-game sweep.

"It seems like we can do some stuff right now that other people can't," third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said, referring to the gluttony of mistakes that has Washington firmly in the NL East cellar.

Ross Detwiler will try to stop Washington's skid on Monday when he makes his season debut. The Nationals' No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, Detwiler pitched one inning in the majors that season, and he'll replace Scott Olsen - who's headed to the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis - in the rotation.

Detwiler is 0-3 with a 2.96 ERA with Double-A Harrisburg, and he gave up a run in five innings Monday against Altoona, a Pirates' farm club.

"He has pitched well in Double-A and is throwing many more strikes," Nationals acting general manager Mike Rizzo told the team's official Web site. "He has shown vast improvement over the course of time."

Washington has scored at least five runs in each of its past eight games despite going 1-7 in that stretch - led by a combined 19 RBIs from Nick Johnson and Zimmerman - and Monday they'll try to solve Ross Ohlendorf (4-3, 3.77).

Ohlendorf has given the Pirates a quality outing in five of his seven starts, including Wednesday against St. Louis. The right-hander allowed a run and two hits in six innings while striking out five in a 5-2 win.

"Each start, he's getting a little better," manager John Russell told the Pirates' official Web site. "He's keeping the ball down, and he's getting a lot of ground balls and attacking the zone."

Ohlendorf has never faced the Nationals.