WASHINGTON — Getting ready for first pitch …
Game: Pirates (39-27) vs. Washington Nationals (34-33), 7:05 p.m., Nationals Park
Pitchers: RHP A.J. Burnett (6-2, 1.89) vs. RHP Joe Ross (1-1, 3.46)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan
Online: Gameday / Multimedia / Media notes
Pregame notes 5:30 p.m.: When you’re hot, you’re hot. The Pirates are so hot right now, they’re even getting lucky, as they won’t face Bryce Harper tonight because of a hamstring injury to the 22-year-old star. It’s difficult to minimize Harper’s impact on the Nationals, or on the National League. He ranks third in the league in batting average (.344), second in home runs (22) and third in RBIs (53). Harper appears to be the rare star who matches the hype that he received before entering the big leagues. Clint Hurdle summed it up like this: “It would be like our lineup with (Andrew) McCutchen versus not having McCutchen.”… Speaking of McCutchen, don’t be shocked if he continues his hot stretch tonight. He loves hitting against the Nationals and in this ballpark. In 34 career games, he’s hitting .367 with 13 home runs and 28 RBIs. His 1.185 OPS against the Nationals is his highest against any National League team. His .367 batting average is his highest career number against any National League team. His eyes definitely light up in this ballpark. In 14 career games at Nationals Park, McCutchen has hit five home runs and is hitting .345. His 1.157 career OPS is his highest in any ballpark…The Pirates have won eight games in a row, and to emphasize how impressive their pitching has been during that stretch, the Elias Sports Bureau located an outrageous statistic. The Pirates have won six consecutive games when scoring three runs or fewer. This is the first time in club history – we’re going back to 1887 here – that they have accomplished such a number. With four strikeouts tonight, A.J. Burnett will surpass Andy Pettitte (2.448) for 37th on Major League Baseball’s all-time strikeout list…After tonight, the Pirates will face two of baseball’s best pitchers in their next three games. They’re slated to see Max Scherzer (7-5, 1.93 ERA) on Saturday and the Reds’ Johnny Cueto (4-4, 2.98 ERA) on Tuesday.
Andrew McCutchen has five home runs in his past 11 games in D.C. — GETTY
June 19, 2015
Final: Nationals 4, Pirates 1
by Josh Yohe • Game previews
WASHINGTON — Getting ready for first pitch …
Game: Pirates (39-27) vs. Washington Nationals (34-33), 7:05 p.m., Nationals Park
Pitchers: RHP A.J. Burnett (6-2, 1.89) vs. RHP Joe Ross (1-1, 3.46)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan
Online: Gameday / Multimedia / Media notes
Pregame notes 5:30 p.m.: When you’re hot, you’re hot. The Pirates are so hot right now, they’re even getting lucky, as they won’t face Bryce Harper tonight because of a hamstring injury to the 22-year-old star. It’s difficult to minimize Harper’s impact on the Nationals, or on the National League. He ranks third in the league in batting average (.344), second in home runs (22) and third in RBIs (53). Harper appears to be the rare star who matches the hype that he received before entering the big leagues. Clint Hurdle summed it up like this: “It would be like our lineup with (Andrew) McCutchen versus not having McCutchen.”… Speaking of McCutchen, don’t be shocked if he continues his hot stretch tonight. He loves hitting against the Nationals and in this ballpark. In 34 career games, he’s hitting .367 with 13 home runs and 28 RBIs. His 1.185 OPS against the Nationals is his highest against any National League team. His .367 batting average is his highest career number against any National League team. His eyes definitely light up in this ballpark. In 14 career games at Nationals Park, McCutchen has hit five home runs and is hitting .345. His 1.157 career OPS is his highest in any ballpark…The Pirates have won eight games in a row, and to emphasize how impressive their pitching has been during that stretch, the Elias Sports Bureau located an outrageous statistic. The Pirates have won six consecutive games when scoring three runs or fewer. This is the first time in club history – we’re going back to 1887 here – that they have accomplished such a number. With four strikeouts tonight, A.J. Burnett will surpass Andy Pettitte (2.448) for 37th on Major League Baseball’s all-time strikeout list…After tonight, the Pirates will face two of baseball’s best pitchers in their next three games. They’re slated to see Max Scherzer (7-5, 1.93 ERA) on Saturday and the Reds’ Johnny Cueto (4-4, 2.98 ERA) on Tuesday.
Andrew McCutchen has five home runs in his past 11 games in D.C. — GETTY