The Nationals' offense woke up on Wednesday night, and Gio Gonzalez and the bullpen kept the Pirates at bay for most of the game. When it was all said and done the Nats took the first game of the series 7-4. The Pirates will have a chance to even things up on Thursday. The game starts at 7:05 pm and you can find the game on ROOT Sports.

It won't get any easier for the Pirates on Thursday as they have to go against Jordan Zimmermann, another strong arm from the Nationals bullpen. he doesn't have the same hook that Gonzalez seemed to confound Pirates hitters with on Wednesday. But Zimmermann has a very strong fastball with a lot of good movement that should still keep the Pirates off-balance. The Pirates will counter by sending James McDonald to the mound.

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