Pirates score on wild pitch, beat Nationals 2-1

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the hapless bullpen of the Washington Nationals for the third straight night, scoring on a wild pitch in the ninth inning for a 2-1 victory Wednesday.

Joel Hanrahan (0-2) threw a two-out, 1-2 pitch to Adam LaRoche that bounced before it got to home plate, allowing Freddy Sanchez to score from third.

The Pirates have won a season-high five straight, the last three adding to the misery of a Nationals relief corps whose combined record is 1-15. Washington has lost seven straight overall, and this was the first one in the streak when the Nationals failed to score at least five runs.

John Grabow (2-0) pitched the eighth inning for the victory, and Matt Capps worked the ninth for his eighth save.

Story appears in Thursday’s edition.