PIRATES GO FOR 2 IN A ROW

PITTSBURGH AT WASHINGTON

WHEN: 4:05 PM ET, Saturday, April 13, 2019
WHERE: Nationals Park, Washington, District of Columbia

The Pittsburgh Pirates managed to quiet the bats of the Washington Nationals for the most part on Friday but still needed 10 innings to secure a win. The Pirates will try to clinch a win in the three-game series when they visit the Nationals for the middle contest on Saturday.

Washington bashed out 25 runs in a pair of wins at Philadelphia on Tuesday and Wednesday but couldn't do much more than a pair of solo home runs from Anthony Rendon and an RBI infield single by the pitcher in Friday's series opener. That wasn't enough support for the Nationals' suspect bullpen, which surrendered five runs in the 6-3 setback. The Pirates weren’t much better with the bats until the 10th, when Colin Moran came on as a pinch hitter and belted a three-run homer off Justin Miller to provide the winning margin and give Pittsburgh its sixth win in eight games. Moran has never faced Washington right-hander Anibal Sanchez, who is scheduled to take the mound on Saturday opposite Pirates righty Chris Archer.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, MASN2 (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Chris Archer (1-0, 2.45 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Anibal Sanchez (0-1, 6.52)

Archer will start on Saturday while on appeal after Major League Baseball handed him a five-game suspension for his role in a brawl with the Cincinnati Reds in his last start. The 30-year-old tossed five scoreless innings against St. Louis in his first start but was reached for three runs on five hits - two home runs - by the Reds. Archer, who spent most of his career in the American League with the Tampa Bay Rays, is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in two career starts against Washington.

Sanchez is switching spots in the rotation with ace Max Scherzer, who is being pushed back a day after taking a comebacker off his leg against the Mets on Sunday. Sanchez yielded a pair of home runs in 5 2/3 innings at Philadelphia on Monday and is looking for his first quality start after surrendering a total of seven runs and 11 hits across 9 2/3 innings in his first two outings. The 35-year-old Venezuelan was sharper in his lone start against Pittsburgh last season, allowing one earned run in 5 1/3 innings without factoring in the decision.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rendon hit safely in each of the last 11 games and has six home runs in that span.

2. Pirates 3B Jung Ho Kang is 0-for-17 with nine strikeouts over his last six games.

3. Pittsburgh LH Felipe Vazquez turned in his sixth straight scoreless appearance and earned his fourth save on Friday.

PREDICTION: Pirates 5, Nationals 4