Pirates at Nationals
Late home runs have been the key to the first two games of the series between the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend, with the last team to leave the yard earning the win in each contest. Both teams will try to build an earlier lead when the Nationals host the Pirates for the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday.
Colin Moran belted a three-run homer in the 10th inning on Friday to give Pittsburgh the win and it looked like it would be two straight victories when Melky Cabrera's solo blast put the Pirates on top 2-1 in the sixth inning on Saturday. Washington, which totaled 25 runs in a pair of wins at Philadelphia before coming home and struggling on offense against Pittsburgh, finally broke through on Saturday in the eighth inning when Adam Eaton and Howie Kendrick hit back-to-back home runs to provide the winning margin in a 3-2 triumph. The more encouraging aspect of the win for the Nationals was the performance of the embattled bullpen, which got a scoreless inning from both Wander Suero and Sean Doolittle to lock down the victory. Washington will send ace Max Scherzer to the mound in the series finale while the Pirates counter with right-hander Jameson Taillon.
TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, MASN2 (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Jameson Taillon (0-2, 3.00 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Max Scherzer (1-2, 3.32)
Taillon was knocked out after two innings at Chicago on Monday when he was hit in the head by a line drive. The 27-year-old cleared initial examinations and came through the week healthy enough to take the mound looking for his first win on Sunday. Taillon, who owns 13 strikeouts in 15 innings over his first three starts, lost his lone start against Washington last season while allowing three runs and seven hits in six innings.
Scherzer was hit by a comebacker in his last start as well, resulting in an ankle contusion that pushed his outing back a day. The former Cy Young Award winner earned his first win in that outing against the New York Mets despite surrendering season highs of four runs and eight hits over 6 1/3 frames. Scherzer, who owns 28 strikeouts in 19 innings, fanned eight in 6 1/3 innings and surrendered two runs in winning his lone start against Pittsburgh in 2018.
WALK-OFFS
1. Nationals 3B Anthony Rendon recorded an extra-base hit in his 10th straight game on Saturday, setting a franchise record.
2. Pittsburgh 3B Jung Ho Kang struck out in a pinch-hitting appearance on Saturday and is 0-for-18 with 10 K's over his last seven games.
3. Washington placed RHP Justin Miller (back) on the 10-day injured list and recalled RHP Austen Williams.