Washington Nationals: Takeaways From 5-1 Win Vs. Pirates
By Ricky Keeler
The Washington Nationals got their second half off to a great start with a win over the Pirates last night
Last night, the Washington Nationals (55-36) got their second half of the season started on a great note as they defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates (46-44) 5-1 at Nats Park.
Before the game, the Washington Nationals had some concerning injury news as Daniel Murphy was scratched from his start at first base. After the game, manager Dusty Baker told the media that Murphy has a sore hamstring from a slide in last Tuesday’s All-Star Game:
Daniel Murphy tweaked his hamstring while sliding into second base in the 9th inning of the ASG after he singled in his third AB.
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) July 16, 2016
For the first four innings, the offense had only one hit against Francisco Liriano (six innings, three runs, five hits, four walks, three strikeouts). Then, the Nats put together three singles, including a RBI single by Clint Robinson that tied the game. Three innings later, the Nats broke the game open thanks to bad Pirates defense, good baserunning, and a two-run home run by Michael Taylor.
As for the starting pitching, Stephen Strasburg delivered another dominant outing for the Washington Nationals. He held the Pirates to one run on three hits over eight innings and is now 13-0 on the season with a 2.51 ERA. With the win last night, the Nats have won four straight games and are 19 games over the .500 mark.
Before Gerrit Cole takes on Tanner Roark tonight at Nats Park (7:05 p.m ET, MASN), check out my three takeaways from last night’s Washington Nationals win over the Pirates:
Next: Strasburg Gets Win #13