Pirates Fall To Nationals As Strasburg Wins 16th Straight Decision
WASHINGTON (AP) - Stephen Strasburg threw eight masterful innings and bunted in a run and Michael Taylor hit a two-run homer that broke the game open as the Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Friday night in the first game after the All-Star break.
Strasburg (13-0) allowed one run and three hits with six strikeouts. The eight innings tied his longest start of the season. It was Strasburg's franchise-record 16th straight decision since September.
Washington improved to 16-1 with Strasburg on the mound this year. He is the only qualified starter in the majors without a loss.
The Nationals did most of their damage in the seventh inning, scoring one run on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Strasburg, another on a wild pitch and throwing error and two more on Taylor's seventh homer.
Washington's Clint Robinson drove in a run in the fifth and scored in the seventh.
Pirates starter Francisco Liriano (5-9) allowed three runs and five hits in six-plus innings.
Reliever Neftali Feliz was responsible for the wild pitch and served up Taylor's home run to right-center.
Jordy Mercer drove in Pittsburgh's only run in the fifth, and the Pirates were mostly helpless against Strasburg, who has allowed a total of five hits in three starts since coming off the disabled list July 3. He faced the minimum number of batters and didn't allow a hit through four, wiggling out of trouble twice before giving way to Shawn Kelley for the ninth.
A bonkers seventh inning provided plenty of run support for the All-Star right-hander. A leadoff walk by Danny Espinosa and a single by Robinson - who got the start at first when Daniel Murphy was a late scratch - set the table for Strasburg at the plate.
First baseman David Freese didn't tag first on the sac bunt attempt, and Espinosa made good on his gamble of running home from third. A throwing error by catcher Eric Fryer on Feliz's wild pitch compounded things, and then Taylor tacked on the extra runs.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: RHP Ryan Vogelsong, who has been out since May 23 when he was hit by a pitch and suffered three facial fractures, threw six scoreless innings in a rehab start for Double-A Altoona. ... C Francisco Cervelli, who has been on the DL since June 11 with a broken bone in his wrist, doubled and singled in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Indianapolis.
Nationals: Murphy was scratched with leg soreness. The team listed him as day-to-day. ... Manager Dusty Baker said RHP Joe Ross continues to toss but remains on the DL with no definitive timeline.
FATHERS' DAYS
This is the Pirates' fourth annual dad's trip, and almost 20 fathers of people throughout the organization are taking part.
"It's an absolute blast for everybody," manager Clint Hurdle said. "It's kind of like revisiting Little League but backwards because then we've got to follow our fathers around and make sure they haven't left stuff behind."
UP NEXT
Pirates RHP Gerrit Cole (5-4, 2.77 ERA) returns from the DL and starts Saturday against Nationals RHP Tanner Roark (8-5, 3.01). Cole has been out since June 11 with a strained right triceps muscle.
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