Cole, J-Bell Tame Nats 6-1

The first five innings followed the classic blueprint of a Gerrit Cole game - he gave up nada but one hit while the Bucs stranded four and hit into a DP against Jacob Turner. Cole stayed strong in the sixth and the Pirates did some damage -  a walk and a HBP both touched home ahead of J-Bell's three-run long ball in the middle of the Clemente Wall crowd. Blake Treiner took over then and stranded another pair of Pittsburghers.

The 1-2 punch: Cole Train and... (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

After some changes in the seventh (Danny Ortiz went to right, JJ to 1B and J-Bell to the pine; why, Clint, why?), Cole Train lost some steam. A single came home following a two-out double, and not by much as Gift double-clutched a strong relay by Danny Ortiz to allow the run to sneak in. Ollie Perez came on to face lefties Fraze and JJ; he gave up a knock and a walk. Matt Albers took the ball and Cutch went the opposite way on him, chasing home a pair - and it's a rare day when you see Jaso score from first on a single. He was nearly in Fraze's back pocket by the time they reached the dish. An Andrew swipe, grounder and walk put Pirates on the corners with an out; Cervy's sac fly plated one more tally to make it 6-1.

...Josh Bell (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Felipe Rivero took the hill in the eighth against his old mates and sent them back into the field after eight pitches. Matt Grace came on and put up a zippo, surviving a leadoff two-base error. Juan Nicasio got ahead of Jayson Werth 0-2 and then lost him. But he got Bryce Harper & Ryan Zimmerman on a pair of loud outs and Daniel Murphy on a fly to raise the Jolly Roger. Gerrit Cole went seven IP, giving up a run on three hits, two walks and three K on 98 pitches against the league's top hammers and made a pretty good argument that he's ace stuff this season. The Bucs eventually took advantage of a sixth starter and then a suspect bullpen. So the series is even; we'll see if Tyler Glasnow has a bounce-back in him tomorrow.

Notes:

• Cutch had his first multi-hit game since April 28th and stole a pair of bases for the first time since 2014. Fraze also had a pair of hits, JJ walked three times and Fran twice.
• Tonight was only the second time the Nats were held to a run this season and three hits is the season low for DC. 
• The crowd was counted at 18,803 tonight.
• Jameson Taillon's biopsy was positive for testicular cancer. The docs cleared JT to begin light physical activities and will reexamine him next week to make sure he's cancer-clean and come up with a more detailed rehab program.
• Max Moroff and Eric Wood each banged two home runs tonight in an 8-4 Indy win.
• Ex-Bucco Alex Presley hit for the cycle tonight for the Toledo Mud Hens, Detroit's AAA club.