Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Ryan Zimmerman drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, and Adam Dunn hit a two-run homer for the Nationals in a 7-5 victory over the Pirates.
Jose Tabata Shines, But Brad Lincoln Mediocre As Pirates Downed By Strasburgless Nationals
Roger Bernadina added three hits and an RBI for Washington, which has won the first two games of this three-game set, including a 5-2 decision on Tuesday behind Stephen Strasburg and his already immortalized major league debut.
Lastings Milledge went 3-for-5, scored two runs and drove in another, while Neil Walker had two hits and an RBI in Pittsburgh's fourth straight loss.
Drew Storen (2-0) tossed a scoreless seventh to keep the game tied, 5-5, and Cristian Guzman led off the home half with a base hit before being sacrificed to second by a bunt. Zimmerman's bouncer up the middle hit off the right foot of D.J. Carrasco (1-2) and deflected into right field as Guzman raced home.
Tyler Clippard hurled a perfect eighth, and the hosts added a run off Brendan Donnelly on Wil Nieves' sacrifice fly in the home half.
Matt Capps, who had blown three of his previous five chances, survived Garrett Jones' one-out double in the ninth to earn his 20th save of the season.
Neither starter was particularly effective. Washington's John Lannan was touched for five runs -- four earned -- on 10 hits and three walks in 4 2/3 frames, while Brad Lincoln was unspectacular in his MLB debut, yielding five runs on seven hits in six full frames. The fourth overall pick in the 2006 draft did have two hits and drove in a run for the Pirates,
Milledge fouled out to leave the bases loaded in Pittsburgh’s first at-bat, and a two-out walk to Zimmerman in the bottom half preceded Dunn’s homer to right on a Lincoln fastball that caught too much of the plate.
The Pirates took the lead in the third with a three-spot, as Andy LaRoche's groundout scored Andrew McCutchen, while Milledge and Ronny Cedeno followed with consecutive two-out RBI singles.
Jose Tabata, also making his big league debut, led off the away fourth with a single, stole scored and scored on Walker's dribbler up the middle, but questionable fielding allowed the Nats to quickly erase their two-run deficit.
In Washington's turn, Josh Willingham came around from first on a one-out double by Bernadina, who scored the tying run when Ian Desmond hit a ball to right that glanced off the glove of a diving Milledge.
After a flyout, Lannan hit a slow-moving one-hopper to short that Cedeno misplayed, allowing Desmond to score for a 5-4 Washington lead.
While Lincoln failed to get much help from his defense, he held his own with the bat, driving in Milledge in the fifth to knot the game again.
Lincoln, who also struck out three and walked two, was Pittsburgh's 10th different starter this season. The club used nine all of last season...To make room on the roster for Lincoln and Tabata, who were both recalled from Triple- A Indianapolis, the Pirates designated pitcher Jack Taschner for assignment and optioned first baseman Jeff Clement to Indianapolis...The Nationals have now won four straight in the series dating back to last season...Tabata went 2-for-4 with a walk out of the leadoff spot in his first game.
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