The Pirates left Washington last night feeling good, taking the season series against the Nationals with a power burst that included three early home runs off Jordan Zimmermann. The offense has come back down to earth on Friday night, however, as the Bucs opened interleague play against the best pitcher in the game -- Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers.
Verlander already has two no-hitters to his credit, and he's making a bid for his third against the Pirates. He's is just six outs away, mowing down the Bucs lineup so far. Clint Hurdle's crew has drawn two walks, but they've put nothing else together against Verlander, who also has 9 strikeouts through seven innings.
We'll have plenty more on this series throughout the weekend here on SB Nation Pittsburgh, so keep it locked to this StoryStream for all the latest news and updates as they become available. For more on this series and all things Pittsburgh Pirates baseball, please check out Bucs Dugout. For some perspective from the other dugout, please head over to Bless You Boys, SB Nation's Detroit Tigers blog. For more on this and every game, please check out the SB Nation MLB baseball hub page.