The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Washington Nationals 11-5 Sunday afternoon and took two of three games in their holiday weekend series. Konnor Griffin hit a two-run single in the eighth inning and Brandon Lowe followed with a three-run home run. Gregory Soto earned the victory in relief. He is now 5-2 this season.
The Bucs actually blew a 4-0 lead before recovering with the five-run eighth inning. Bubba Chandler allowed four earned runs on six hits over four innings. He allowed a two-run home run in the third inning. Chandler walked four and did not record a strikeout.
The Pirates won Saturday’s game 7-1 behind the pitching of starter Braxton Ashcraft who pitched into the sixth inning for his ninth win of the season. Four relievers held the Nationals scoreless to close the game. Washington won Friday night’s game 9-5 thanks to five home runs, three of those allowed by starting pitcher Mitch Keller. Reliever Isaac Mattson allowed the other two.
The Pirates are off today before beginning a six-game homestand prior to the All-Star break. They host Atlanta for three games beginning Tuesday night, before the Milwaukee Brewers come to town for the weekend.
The Bucs are now 46-45 overall. They are 10-1/2 games behind Milwaukee and three games out of a National League Wild Card.
The All-Star lineups were announced over the holiday weekend. Only Paul Skenes of the Pirates will represent his team at this point. The All-Star game is next week in Philadelphia.
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