Felipe Fileted; Bucs Drop Rubber Match 10-7

Not a grand start for Tyler Glasnow. A single, stolen base, walk and double steal set up two quick runs (Glasnow is slow to the plate and Eric  Fryer, well...). With two gone, Josh Bell and P-Flo played "you take it, no - you" with a pop to right; it ended up neither grabbed it, tho J-Bell came close enough to merit an error, and a third run came across thanks to the bedlam. AJ Cole walked the first three Buccos and JHK singled home a run (on a 3-2 pitch). S-Rod's deep sac fly scored one more and moved Cutch to third. Jordy popped out foul behind the plate, and a little more comedy ensued - Jung Ho broke for second, drawing a lob throw, and that allowed Andrew to tag and plate. So it's 3-3; settle back, may be a long afternoon - not often do you see six runs score on three hits.

The second opened with a Nat knock, followed by a 2-6 bunt DP (Fryer tagged the batter and then threw out the runner.) That was followed by another single and Glasnow's third K. The Pirates went down in order.

JHK had another big day (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

The third inning opened with leadoff triple by Bryce Harper, who was shook up on a clumsy slide after a bluff tag by JHK, but stayed in until the inning ended. That brought Dusty out to beef at the umps and snarl at the Buc bench. Besides riling Baer, it also confirmed that Bell's future is not in RF. An infield knock scored Harper, and another rap followed. A couple of fan jobs and a fly kept the damage limited. After two outs, Cole threw behind JHK's noggin and was ejected. The benches cleared, with S-Rod and Fran venting for the Pirates while Jayson Werth and Harper were yappy on the Nats side. After the noise dissipated, S-Rod was tossed (the water cooler wisely made no comment) and Rafael Martin came on to whiff Kang. Amusing three innings and 90 minutes so far.

Wade LeBlanc took the hill in the fourth and struck out the side. Mat Latos got the call for DC, and a walk, single and P-Flo force tied the contest. Florimon was caught stealing, so of course Eric hit his first MLB triple, but the sting was lessened when Freeser dropped a dink into right. Matt Grace took the ball and K'ed JJ with the Bucs up 5-4 and Trevor Williams on the bump. Two outs, two walks and a double later, the game was knotted and Jared Hughes came on to get the third out. Matt Belisle was called on and left Bucs on the corners. Antonio Bastardo and Belisle worked a scoreless sixth.

Andrew continued his September spree (Image Root Sports)

Juan Nicasio got a K in a quiet seventh while Pittsburgh took command on a two-run bomb by JHK. Six outs to go and a two run lead - what could go wrong? Well, about everything. Felipe Rivero walked the first batter and then gave up a tying dinger to Werth. Three singles brought in the lead run and Phil Coke. An intentional walk loaded the sacks, and a single and unintentional walk made it 10-7 Nats. The next nine batters went down and DC added another feather to their cap.

Ugh. September baseball. Just a week left now, with four games against the Cubbies and three against the Cards. The contests will have meaning according to your individual POV, as the Cubs won't have much to play for although St Louis may be going down to the wire. The games may seem to drag on longer than your daughter's first solo date, but you'll get a great window to view the 2017 Pirates wanna-bes, especially with all the guys that are out.

Juan's K streak is at 33 games now (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• JHK had two hits, three RBI and a run scored. Cutch, Matt Joyce and J-Bell also reached base twice, with two hits and four walks ensemble. Andrew did extend his hitting streak to 13 games.
• The Nats and Bucs tied the record for the most players used in a nine-inning NL game with 45, one short of the MLB record. The game took 4:01 to play.
• Felipe Rivero allowed more earned runs in 1/3 IP (5) against his former teammates than he had in his first 25 innings with the Pirates (4). He had some help from Phil Coke, too.
• It was a well-timed rest day for Fran; his wrist was banged up in last night's game.
• On Neal Huntington's radio show, he noted that Trevor Williams still had an option. In the next breath he mentioned that Trevor will have a shot at earning a spot on the Pirates at camp, but it sounds like they have him penciled in already for a 2017 start at Indy. He also said that Nick Kingham could be on the same fast track next season that Jamo took this year.