Nationals 2, Pirates 1
Pinch hitter Matt Stairs hit a walk-off single in the ninth to give the host Washington Nationals their first triumph for interim manager Davey Johnson, 2-1 over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
Roger Bernadina homered in the sixth for Washington, which snapped a three-game losing streak and gave Johnson his first victory since 2000.
With runners on the corners, Stairs ripped a long single off the right field wall. Mike Morse sparked the rally with a leadoff single off Tim Wood (0-3), the Pirates’ fifth reliever, and pinch runner Alex Cora scored after replacing Morse.
Johnson took over as interim manager Sunday after John McLaren's abbreviated stint in the role. The Nationals promptly dropped his first three games against the Los Angeles Angels, but they got back on track by continuing their home dominance of Pittsburgh. Washington has won six straight at home over the Pirates.
The Nationals’ bullpen threw two hitless innings after former Pirate Tom Gorzelanny allowed just one run and six hits in seven innings. Tyler Clippard worked the eighth and Drew Storen (5-2) tossed a perfect ninth.
Alex Presley drove in Pittsburgh's run on a grounder in the third.
Washington had been held scoreless 14 straight innings before Bernadina led off the sixth with his fifth homer. He drilled a first-pitch fastball from Pirates' starter Charlie Morton just over the scoreboard in right-center field.