Werth homers as Nationals outslug Pirates
PITTSBURGH -- Jayson Werth smacked a pinch-hit, two-run homer to highlight a five-run eighth inning Sunday as the Washington Nationals pulled out a wild 10-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
In addition to the 17 runs, the four-hour game featured a combined 21 hits, four ties, 45 players used (tied the National League record), 17 pitchers (one shy of the major-league record), a benches-clearing incident, two ejections and an injury to a star player.
Washington rested several regulars a day after it clinched the National League East title for the third time in five years. An exception was reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper, who started and left in the third inning with an apparent left thumb injury. There was no immediate word on the exact nature of the injury or a prognosis.
The Pirates' chances of making the playoffs have severely dwindled. They have lost three of four.
Shawn Kelley (3-2) pitched the eighth for the win. Felipe Rivero (1-5) gave up five runs in one-third of an inning to receive the loss. Former Pirate Mark Melancon pitched the ninth for his 43rd save.
Both teams had held off on naming their starters for the game until Friday or Saturday, but it turned out neither was a major factor nor a major success.
The Nationals' A.J. Cole, making his seventh start this season, gave up three runs on one hit over 2 2/3 innings before being ejected for a high pitch.
Pittsburgh rookie Tyler Glasnow, coming off of a stretch in the bullpen and making his third career start, allowed three runs on seven hits in three innings. He had five strikeouts and one walk.
The Nationals roughed up Glasnow for three runs, two of them earned, in the first.
Ben Revere singled to right and stole second and advanced to third after a double steal with Wilmer Difo walked. Revere scored on Harper's ground out to make it 1-0.
Anthony Rendon followed with a double to the wall in center, driving in Difo for a 2-0 lead. An out later, Rendon scored when center fielder Pedro Florimon and right fielder Josh Bell let a fly ball drop between them. The error went to Bell.
Pittsburgh answered with three in the bottom of the first off to tie it.
Cole walked the bases loaded on 18 pitches and went to a full count on Jung Ho Kang, who followed with an RBI single. Sean Rodriguez's sacrifice fly made it 3-2.
Andrew McCutchen, at third when Florimon popped out behind the plate, scored on a heads-up baserunning move. Catcher Jose Lobaton threw to second, and McCutchen raced home to tie the game 3-3.
Washington took a 4-3 lead in the third, but it came at a potential cost. Harper led off with a triple but appeared to injure his left thumb sliding into third. He remained at the base after receiving medical attention, and he scored on Rendon's infield single.
For the bottom of the third, however, Harper was replaced by Chris Heisey.
With two outs in that bottom of the third, the benches and bullpens cleared, and there was some jostling along the third-base line after home plate umpire Jordan Baker ejected Cole for throwing a pitch behind and over the head of Kang.
Rodriguez, who seemed to have the hottest temper among the participants, also got ejected.
The Pirates took their first lead in the fourth, scoring twice to make it 5-4.
Matt Joyce, who replaced Rodriguez, led off with a walk and later scored on a fielder's choice. Eric Fryer followed with his first major league triple and scored on pinch-hitter David Freese's bloop single to right-center.
Washington pulled into the third tie of the game, 5-5, on Brian Goodwin's RBI double in the fifth.
Kang broke that tie with his 20th homer, a two-out, two-run shot to left on a 3-0 pitch from Koda Glover in the seventh. That gave the Pirates a 7-5 lead.
In the Washington eighth, Werth hit his second pinch-hit homer of the season - and his team's 12th pinch-hit blast - off of the top of the center-field wall for a 7-7 tie. Two batters later, Heisey hit a tiebreaking RBI single. Clint Robinson drove in another with a single, and reliever Phil Coke walked in one more for a 10-7 Nationals lead.
NOTES: There was a moment of silence before the game for Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, who died early Sunday in a boating accident. The Pirates wrote on Twitter: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Marlins organization, their fans and the family of Jose Fernandez." The Nationals tweeted: "We are heartbroken by the news of Jose Fernandez's passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family & the entire Marlins organization." ... Several players from both teams offered thoughts on social media, and Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said before the game, "It is so horribly sad on so many different levels. ... Be where your feet are. Enjoy the moment. There will be a day where there won't be another day." ... A day after clinching the NL East title, the Nationals gave several regulars a day off, including CF Trea Turner, LF Jayson Werth, 1B Ryan Zimmerman, C Wilson Ramos and 2B Stephen Drew. ... Washington 2B Daniel Murphy (buttocks strain) missed his seventh game in a row. He is out indefinitely. ... Pirates SS Jordy Mercer returned to the starting lineup after being available only for pinch-hitting duty the previous two games. ... Pirates RF Gregory Polanco missed his second straight game because of a facial contusion that forced him from Friday's game. ... Pittsburgh LF Starling Marte was out of the lineup for the third straight game because of recurring back problems that GM Neal Huntington said is muscular. ... Pirates C Francisco Cervelli was given the day off from the starting lineup. ... The Pirates' bullpen surpassed the 500 strikeout mark Saturday and entered Sunday with 506, a club record for a season.