In the aftermath of a wild 5-4 win on Tuesday that featured a walk-off home run by struggling Bucs catcher Rod Barajas, the Nationals and Pirates continue their series on Wednesday at 7:05.
Of course every game is winnable, but this one in particular looks like a winnable game for the Pirates. Erik Bedard gets the start, and he’s coming off three good ones — he struck out seven in seven innings against the Cardinals April 22, then whiffed nine in five innings in a win over the Braves April 28, then struck out 11 while beating the Cardinals May 3.
The Nationals, meanwhile, will send out Ross Detwiler. Detwiler has a 1.59 ERA this year and has only allowed two homers, thanks in part to a bit of luck, and also to getting ground balls 58 percent of the time. Ground-ball hitters like Jose Tabata may struggle against him, and the Pirates will need to work on hitting line drives and getting the ball in the air to beat him.
For more on the Pirates, be sure to check out Bucs Dugout. For more on the Nationals, there’s Federal Baseball.