Nationals 4, Pirates 1
WASHINGTON -- Rookie starting pitcher Joe Ross fanned 11 batters and pitched into the eighth inning, and catcher Wilson Ramos had two hits and two RBIs as the Washington Nationals beat Pittsburgh 4-1 on Friday to snap the Pirates' eight-game winning streak.
Ross (2-1) gave his struggling team a lift as he gave up just one run, one walk and six hits in 7 1/3 innings while veteran Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett (6-3) yielded four runs and a career-high 14 hits in 6 2/3 innings of work.
David Carpenter got the final two outs in the eighth for the Nationals, and Drew Storen pitched the ninth for his 20th save, but first at home in two weeks, in a showdown of second-place teams.
Center fielder Denard Span, first baseman Tyler Moore, left fielder Michael A. Taylor and shortstop Danny Espinosa also had two hits apiece for the Nationals, who banged out 14 hits. Espinosa, in his second start of the year at shortstop, had an RBI triple in the seventh to make it 4-1 and chase Burnett.
With the win Washington (35-33) snapped a four-game home losing streak while the Pirates (39-28) lost on the road for just the second time in nine outings. The Nationals have struggled in June, going 7-11 this month, but got a rare home win before a sellout crowd of 38,935.
Right fielder Gregory Polanco had two hits and drove in the only run for the Pirates, who had allowed just seven runs with five shutouts during their winning streak. Polanco was shaken up while trying to catch the Espinosa triple and was taken out of the game as Jose Tabata came in to play right.
Washington third baseman Yunel Escobar, who had five hits Thursday, drove in a run with a groundout, and Ramos had an RBI double to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
The Pirates trimmed the lead to 2-1 with an RBI single by Polanco, who entered the game hitting .319 in his previous 12 road games. Ramos had another RBI hit -- a single to center -- in the third to build the margin to 3-1 against Burnett.
Ross struck out center fielder Andrew McCutchen in his first two at bats -- with a slider in the first and a sweeping curve in the third.
Ross also struck out the side in the fourth and got his first big league hit in the bottom of the fourth on an infield single. Ross struck out 10 batters in his first six innings.
Burnett entered the game with a 12-5 record and a 3.19 ERA in 23 games and 22 starts against the Nationals.
Ross was making the third start of his big league career and Burnett his 418th. Ross was 6 years old when Burnett made his major league debut in 1999 with the Marlins.
Washington had 11 hits in the first five innings but just three runs -- thanks in part to leaving the bases loaded with no runs in the second.
The Nationals' starting lineup was without four players expected to be everyday players this year: outfielder Jayson Werth (disabled list), Ryan Zimmerman (disabled list), shortstop Ian Desmond (day off) and outfielder Bryce Harper (light hamstring strain).
NOTES: Washington OF Bryce Harper was not in the starting lineup Friday after he left Thursday's game in the sixth inning with a mild left hamstring strain after making a throw from right field. Harper is hitting .344 with 22 homers and 53 RBIs. He leads the National League with a slugging percentage of .720. "He is sore; he is getting treatment," Washington manager Matt Williams said. "We will see where he is; he is off for today. We want to be cautious. We are taking the appropriate steps. Today, we will see how he feels." ... Pittsburgh entered the game with eight wins in a row and was 26-11 since May 9 to lead the majors. ... Pirates LHP Francisco Liriano (4-5, 2.94 ERA) will start Saturday against Washington RHP Max Scherzer (7-5, 1.93), who threw a one-hitter with 16 strikeouts on Sunday at Milwaukee. ... The Nationals put RHP Tanner Roark on the paternity list and brought back RHP Taylor Hill from Syracuse. Hill was optioned to Triple-A on Thursday when RHP Doug Fister came off the disabled list but said he did not leave the Washington, D.C., area.