Pittsburgh PiratesvsWashington Nationals
PIT 11/WSH 5
Things to say
The Pirates beat the Nationals 11-5 at Nationals Park.
01
opener
Pirates jumped on Washington early and just kept piling on. Eleven runs, never really close. The bullpen let it get out of hand.
02
key player
Wasn't one guy, the whole Pittsburgh lineup was locked in. Top to bottom they were squaring it up all afternoon.
03
hot take
Nationals aren't a 46-45 team that plays like that at home. That was a getaway-day no-show.
04
deep cut
Both clubs sat at 46-45 going in. Middle-of-the-pack teams, and Pittsburgh looked like the more desperate one.
05
exit
Anyway, we'll see if the bats stay hot next series. Long season.
The recap
Pittsburgh went into Washington on a getaway-day matinee and just bludgeoned the ball, hanging up 11 runs and cruising to a comfortable win. The bats were relentless top to bottom, and once the Pirates put up a crooked number the Nationals manager was digging into the pen way too early trying to stop the bleeding.
Washington scratched out 5 but never got the heart of the order going against Pittsburgh's arms, and by the late innings this one was a formality. Both clubs sit at 46-45, but only one of them left the yard looking like the better team today.