Pirates waste late opportunities in 5-4 loss to Nationals
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates wasted a pair of late-inning opportunites and CJ Abrams went 3 for 4 with a home run, a double and two RBIs as the Washington Nationals held on for a 5-4 win at PNC Park Tuesday night.
Abrams hit a solo shot down the left-field line in the fourth inning to extend the Nationals’ lead to 4-1. He also hit the third of three consecutive RBI singles in the first inning, following Brady House and Daylen Lile, as Washington took a 3-0 lead.
The shortstop is 9 for 17 in his last five games with three home runs and seven RBIs.
Recalled from Triple-A Syracuse earlier in the day, left-hander Mitchell Parker (1-0) struck out five in two scoreless innings of relief as the Nationals won for the fourth time in five games.
Pirates rookie Konnor Griffin hit a one-out double and Joey Bart walked to put the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the ninth, but Gus Varland struck out Oneil Cruz swinging and got Nick Yorke on a game-ending foul out to earn his second save.
Pittsburgh loaded the bases against Parker with one out in the seventh but Cionel Perez came on and got Yorke to hit into an inning-ending double play.
Brandon Lowe and Bart hit solo homers for the Pirates. It was Lowe’s seventh of the season.
Lowe became just the fourth Pirates player to hit at least four home runs and drive in 11 runs in a three-game span. Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner did it in 1947 and 1949, and Jose Castillo did it in 2006.
Pittsburgh’s Marcell Ozuna, who entered the game with a .070 batting average, had two hits and his first RBI of the season. Cruz’s 12-game hitting streak ended as he went 0 for 5.
Left-hander P.J. Poulin opened for the Nationals and gave up Lowe’s homer. Miles Mikolas followed and allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Mitch Keller (1-1) gave up five runs and six hits over four innings.
The start of the game was delayed 18 minutes because of rain.