Nationals Vs. Pirates: Karstens Solid As Bucs Find Offense In 7-2 Win

The Pirates got back on track after a series sweep at the hands of the Florida Marlins, winning the first game of their series against the Washington Nationals, 7-2.

If you didn’t see the first inning, you missed the bulk of the Pirates’ offense as the Bucs scored a total of five runs. Five of the first six Pirates at bat reached base against Nats’ starter Livan Hernandez and even though the slumping Pedro Alvarez grounded out next, he pushed across the fourth run of the inning. Shortstop Ronny Cedeno then singled to bring home Ryan Doumit and it was 5-0.

The top of the order, Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata, and Lyle Overbay was 5-8 with three walks and three RBI. Fans in attendance received an action figure of McCutchen, and Cutch had a good night, going 1-2 with two walks and two stolen bases (even though replays clearly showed he should have been called out on the second attempt).

On the mound, Bucs’ starter Jeff Karstens was solid, allowing only two runs over six innings. The bullpen of Chris Resop, Joe Beimel, and Evan Meek had scoreless seventh, eighth, and ninth innings respectively to close out the game. Karstens, filling in for the injured Ross Ohlendorf, is now 2-0 and has an ERA under 4.00 on the season.

Nationals Vs. Pirates: Livan Hernandez, Jeff Karstens Will Face Off Saturday

Livan Hernandez and Jeff Karstens, who were scheduled to face one another on Friday before that night’s game was postponed, will face off Saturday night.

Nationals Vs. Pirates: Game Postponed, Will Be Made Up Monday

The game Friday night between the Nationals and Pirates has been postponed and will be made up on Monday. Since Jeff Karstens is merely a fill-in in the rotation anyway, it’s unclear whether the Pirates will simply skip his start, or whether he will pitch on Saturday.

Nationals Vs. Pirates: Livan Hernandez, Jeff Karstens Face Off In Battle Of Soft-Tossers

The Pirates kick off a home series against the Washington Nationals Friday night at 7:05 PM.

The Nationals are coming off a split series against the Cardinals and a 2-0 series sweep of the Brewers. Two of their last six games have been postponed, and they also had a day off on Monday, so they should be very well-rested. Their starter will be Livan Hernandez, who started for them on Opening Day and has three quality starts in his four outings this season.

The Bucs' starter will be Jeff Karstens, who is pitching for the injured Ross Ohlendorf. Karstens pitched fairly well in three relief outings this year before making his first start against the Reds.

Neither Hernandez nor Karstens have much in the way of stuff, so expect a ton of 87-MPH fastballs. It shouldn't be a particularly exciting game, at least not from the standpoint of the starting pitching, but it represents a decent chance for the Bucs to bounce back after an ugly series against the Marlins.