The Pittsburgh Pirates look to snap a six-game losing streak when they open a three-game series at the Washington Nationals on Friday in a matchup of the last-place teams in the National League Central and East Divisions.
Pittsburgh (64-83) lost its third straight one-run game Thursday, 3-2 to the Baltimore Orioles.
“We need to run the bases better. We need to situational hit better,” manager Don Kelly told SportsNet Pittsburgh. “Just the way that this series shook out, three one-run losses and some frustrating times, we need to be better. … Just that big base hit with runners in scoring position continues to elude us in these close games.”
The Nationals (60-86), meanwhile, have lost two straight but return home after completing a 4-3 road trip. They conclude their penultimate homestand of the season with four games against the Braves.
“We had a good road trip, a winning road trip,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “The guys are playing hard. They keep fighting. But it was a good road trip in general.”
The Pirates send right-hander Mitch Keller (6-14, 4.16 ERA) against rookie right-hander Brad Lord (5-8, 4.20) in the opener.
Keller is 1-2 with a 2.60 ERA over his past three starts. Last time out, he took the loss against the Brewers despite allowing just two runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings. It was his longest start since July 8.
“It was huge, honestly,” Kelly said. “For him to get into the seventh inning and go 6 1/3, with where the bullpen is at right now — talking about the length of the season — it was a huge start from a length perspective. I thought he threw the ball great.”
Keller is 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA in six career starts versus Washington. He lost to the Nationals on April 15, allowing three runs on six hits over six innings.
After producing a 12.08 ERA over his final three starts in August, Lord welcomed September with a solid effort in beating the Chicago Cubs. He gave up one earned run on two hits over 5 2/3 innings Sept. 6 while striking out a career-high seven batters.
“He was just attacking the strike zone,” Cairo said. “He mixed it up really good and threw strikes when he needed to throw strikes. He threw the breaking pitch when he needed to throw the breaking pitch. … It was nice to see him come back and be himself.”
Lord’s only previous appearance against Pittsburgh came in a start April 14, and he allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings of a loss.
On Thursday night, the Nationals managed just seven singles in a 5-0 loss to the Marlins. Daylen Lile had one of them, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. CJ Abrams led off the game with a single and then stole his 30th base of the season.
After a pair of extra-inning losses to the Orioles, the Pirates dropped the finale 3-2 in regulation. Alexander Canario had a homer and a single, and Jared Triolo had a triple and a single for Pittsburgh, which has not won since sweeping a three-game series from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
–Field Level Media
