Pittsburgh at Washington

Things looked encouraging for the Pirates as they ran out of the gate at 11-7, but their fortunes have turned to what amounts to their expectations this season, another sub-.500 campaign. The Pirates have since been a dismal, but more characteristic 5-14. They just don't have the bats in the lineup to compete on a nightly basis. The last 12 losses have seen the Pirates get shutout three times, held to one run on three occasions, and two runs on two other occasions. That simply isn't going to produce wins. Ross Detweller makes his MLB debut for the Nationals. Detwiller had a 2.57 ERA in AA Harrisburg, with more strikeouts than innings pitched. While the Pirates search for answers offensively, the Nats have posted five runs or more in eight consecutive games, enough to get the win in this one.