Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals Match Player Stats On Sep 28, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Sep 29, 2017

WASHINGTON -- Alejandro De Aza delivered an RBI single with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Washington Nationals a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.

The hit down the first base line off Daniel Hudson (2-7) scored Anthony Rendon, who led off the ninth with a single and took third on a single by Daniel Murphy.

Pittsburgh's Josh Bell hit his 26th homer of the year, a two-run shot off closer Sean Doolittle, to tie the game at 4 in the top of the ninth. It was the first blown save in 22 chances for Doolittle with the Nationals this year. Andrew McCutchen had led off with a single.

Doolittle got the win to improve to 2-0 overall, 1-0 with Washington, after giving up two runs in one inning.

De Aza, who entered the game in the third inning, broke a tie with an RBI triple in the seventh, and Adam Lind added a sacrifice fly to give Washington a 4-2 lead.

De Aza tripled down the left field line off reliever Dovydas Neverauskas, who gave up two runs in one-third of an inning. Lind followed with a sacrifice fly off Jack Leathersich for an insurance run.

Washington starter Edwin Jackson allowed two runs on four hits in six innings. He did not figure in the decision after yielding two walks with seven strikeouts in his last regular-season start.

Murphy had three hits and Wilmer Difo had two for Washington. Starling Marte was 2-for-4 for the Pirates.

Washington (96-63) can set a franchise record for victories if it wins the final three games of the series. The Pirates (73-86) had won four in a row after losing seven of eight games.

The Nationals took a 1-0 lead on Murphy's RBI single in the first.

Pittsburgh responded with two runs in the third as former Washington minor leaguer Christopher Bostick had an RBI double and Marte followed with an RBI single.

Left fielder Howie Kendrick dived for Marte's line drive and left the game with an apparent injury. He was replaced by De Aza. The condition of Kendrick was not immediately known as the Nationals do not announce possible injury information during games.

Pirates right-handed starter Ivan Nova left the game in the top of the third inning after the ball hit him on the pitching hand as he fouled off a bunt attempt on an offering from Jackson.

Nova was replaced by pinch hitter Steven Brault, who inherited a 1-1 count and then grounded out for the second out. Nova gave up one run on four hits in two innings, and Tyler Glasnow took over in the third.

Lind had an RBI groundout to tie the game at 2 in the last of the third.

NOTE: Washington RF Bryce Harper got the night off after he played the previous two games. He came off the disabled list Tuesday after missing 41 games with a hyperextended left knee. ... Pirates SS Jordy Mercer (knee) was out of the lineup for the fourth game in a row. ... Washington RHP Stephen Strasburg (14-4, 2.63 ERA) will face Pirates RHP Gerrit Cole (12-11, 4.23) on Friday.