Pittsburgh @ Washington preview
Nationals Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 9, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 5, Washington 7
The Pittsburgh Pirates cannot find a way to win on the road. Zach Duke has had trouble finding a way to win anywhere.
Duke and the Pirates try to avoid being swept Thursday when they take on the Washington Nationals in the finale of their three-game series.
Just 9-21 away from home this season, Pittsburgh has dropped seven straight road games and eight of nine. Since edging the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 15, the Pirates have posted just two victories in their last 12 contests in the opposition's stadium.
Duke, meanwhile, has been hard-pressed to win no matter where he takes the mound. After emerging victorious in each of his first two starts of the season, the 27-year old has gone 1-6 in 10 outings. His lone win during that stretch came on May 18, when he outdueled Philadelphia ace Roy Halladay, allowing one run in six innings of a 2-1 triumph at Citizens Bank Park.
Duke also pitched well in his following start, yielding an unearned run in seven innings against Atlanta but leaving with a no-decision. The left-hander has been dreadful in his last two outings, surrendering a combined 13 runs and 22 hits over 11 1/3 frames en route to a pair of losses.
In four career starts against Washington, Duke is 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA. He has not faced the Nationals since May 1, 2008, when he gave up two runs over seven innings but did not factor in the decision of a 3-2 loss.
Duke will be opposed by veteran Livan Hernandez, who has had a strong first two months of the campaign. Despite going 0-2 in his last six starts, Herhandez has allowed more than three earned runs just once in 11 outings this season.
The 35-year-old Hernandez has made 14 career starts against the Pirates, posting a 4-4 record. Pittsburgh's Lastings Milledge, a former member of the Nationals, has had success against Hernandez during his career, collecting four hits – including a double – in six at-bats.
Washington is in search of its first series sweep of the year, while Pittsburgh is attempting to avoid being swept for the fifth time.
The Nationals pulled out a 7-5 victory on Wednesday after squandering a pair of leads. With the game even at 5-5 in the seventh inning, Ryan Zimmerman hit a ground ball that caromed off the leg of pitcher D.J. Carrasco and into shallow right field, plating Cristian Guzman with the go-ahead run. Wil Nieves added insurance an inning later with a sacrifice fly, handing Pittsburgh its fourth straight loss overall.
The Pirates debuted a pair of top prospects Wednesday, with mixed reviews. Right-hander Brad Lincoln, the fourth overall pick in the 2006 draft, was tagged for five runs and seven hits in six innings. Jose Tabata, playing left field and leading off, went 2-for-4 with a walk, stolen base and run scored.
Tabata lasted just seven innings, leaving the game with a cramp in his right hamstring.
Roger Bernardina went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored while Adam Dunn belted a two-run homer, his second blast in as many games following a 10-game drought.
Dunn hopes to extend the streak and continue his lifetime success against Duke. The slugger is hitting .455 (5-for-11) against the southpaw with one home run and three RBIs.