Pirates lose series opener

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

The outcome was similar. The approach was different. The record is .500 once again. After a 2-1 ninth-inning victory in his Washington Nationals home managerial debut, Davey Johnson had only one thing left to do to make it a truly successful evening.

He had to find his way home.

“That’ll be a celebration,” he said after Friday’s victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. “I think I go down K Street. How do I get to K Street?”

Negotiating the tricky one-way roads of the nation’s capital might be a challenge, but Johnson needs no GPS when it comes to managing. Yes, in a way they were the same old woeful-hitting, decent-pitching Nationals, who now have played an incredible 11 games since June 1 in which is the final score has been 2-1, 2-0 or 1-0.

But a closer look at the box score shows some subtle differences under Johnson, who is 1-3 as interim manager since accepting the job following Jim Riggleman’s abrupt resignation last week.

For one thing, he let Tom Gorzelanny pitch seven innings on a humid night. The left-hander, who had lost four straight starts, rewarded his manager’s trust with by finishing strong, striking out the last two batters he faced.

“I told all the other starters they’re going to be on a longer leash with me,” Johnson said. “I’m expecting more out of them.”

Gorzelanny finished with eight strikeouts, yielding an unearned run and six hits. He became the second straight Washington starter to not allow an unearned run without getting the win — Jordan Zimmermann took a 1-0 loss on Wednesday.

Johnson’s other leap of faith was using Matt Stairs as a pinch hitter with the game tied in the ninth. The 43-year-old veteran has struggled at the plate all year, hitting just .132 entering the game. He was 4 for 32 with no RBIs as a pinch hitter.