A two-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning by Washington Nationals’ rookie second baseman Danny Espinosa was enough for the Nats to win 4-2 in game one of a short two-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pirates’ center fielder Andrew McCutchen started the game off with a single. The next batter, left fielder Jose Tabata, hit a single of his own to move McCutchen to second base. However, Nationals’ starter John Lannan then got second baseman Neil Walker to hit into a double play, allowing McCutchen to move to third. After a walk to right fielder Matt Diaz, Pirates’ first baseman Steve Pearce hit an infield single to make in a 1-0 Pirates’ lead.
Lannan was working out of jams all night long. While he only allowed two runs in six and one thirds innings, he allowed 11 men to reach base.
“He struggled,” Nationals’ manager Jim Riggleman said after the game. “The first guy was getting on. He was not throwing first pitch strikes. He was battling out of it. Sometimes that’s the way it’s gonna be. You’re not gonna have your good stuff. You’re not gonna be sharp but you just got to battle through it, and that’s what he did”
The Pirates did not have the lead for long, however. Nationals’ shortstop Ian Desmond, who missed the last two games with a quad injury, drew a walk with one out in the bottom of the first. Right fielder Jayson Werth then hit a single to left field. One batter later, rookie catcher Wilson Ramos singled in Desmond to tie the game at one.
The Nats took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. hit his second homerun of the year off Pirates’ starting pitcher Paul Malholm, making it a 2-1 lead for Washington.
An RBI triple by McCutchen tied the game at two in the top of the seventh after a walk by shortstop Ronny Cedeno and a sacrifice bunt by Malholm. Cole Kimball relieved Lannan to face McCutchen. Kimball has now been in the major leagues for three days and has made three appearances out of the bullpen.
However, again the Nats struck back the very next half inning when Espinosa hit his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot off reliever Jose Ascanio to put the Nationals up 4-2. It was the first pitch Ascanio had thrown in the ballgame.
Espinosa has struggled at the plate this year, hitting .193 coming into Monday’s game. While he has not been impressive from either side of the plate this season, he has been much better batting from the right side. But you wouldn’t know that by watching his at bat in the seventh inning, as he crushed a homerun while batting lefty.
“He gave us a great at bat there,” Riggleman said. “He got one in the air to right field and he’s got power so that can happen. He’s really worked hard. He’s battled through this little struggle hitting left handed and continued playing great defense while he’s going through it.”
The Nationals will need more performances like this one from various players in the lineup throughout the season in order to put together the team’s first season over .500.
blasky@theeagleonline.com
