McCutchen sparks Bucs to victory over Nationals

Photo by: Keith Srakocic

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo

Washington Nationals shortstop Danny Espinosa, left, tags Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen as he tries to steal second in the sixth inning of the baseball game, Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Pittsburgh. McCutchen was called safe and came around to score as the Pirates won 7-2.

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Andrew McCutchen scored three runs, stole two bases and singled to spark a five-run first inning Saturday night and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 7-2 Saturday night.

Lyle Overbay had two hits and two RBIs for Pittsburgh, which ended a three-game losing skid, and Jose Tabata and Ronny Cedeno had two hits each.

Jeff Karstens (2-0) pitched into the seventh inning for his first win since moving into the starting rotation a week earlier in place of the injured Ross Ohlendorf. Karstens allowed two runs and six hits in six-plus innings with one walk and three strikeouts.

Jayson Werth homered for Washington, which lost its third game in a row, and Mike Morse had two hits.

Livan Hernandez (2-2) gave up seven runs — four earned — and nine hits in six innings with four walks and two strikeouts. He fell to 1-5 in nine career starts at PNC Park.

The Pirates won for just the second time in seven home games this season.

After McCutchen singled to lead off the first, Tabata doubled to end a 0-for-11 skid and Overbay followed with an RBI infield single. One out later, Garrett Jones drove a double over the head of Werth, the right fielder, that one-hopped the wall and scored Tabata. Ryan Doumit and Cedeno then sandwiched run-scoring singles around Pedro Alvarez’s run-producing groundout to make it 5-0.

Washington got a run back in the top of the second when Adam LaRoche doubled and scored on Morse’s single. However, the Pirates answered in the bottom of the inning as Tabata hit a sacrifice fly to score McCutchen, who led off with the first of his two walks, stole second and continued to third on catcher Wilson Ramos’ throwing error.

Werth homered into the left-field bleachers leading off the fourth inning, just his third in 70 at-bats this season.

Signed to a $126 million, seven-year contract as a free agent in December, Werth is hitting .214. He did rob Neil Walker of extra bases with a leaping catch while crashing into the right-center field wall to end the fourth inning.

McCutchen drew a two-out walk in the sixth, stole second and scored on a single by Overbay to push Pittsburgh’s lead to 7-2.