Liriano sharp in Pirates' win over Nats

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

The Pittsburgh Pirates limped home at the end of a miserable road trip after the All-Star break early Thursday morning hoping to recapture some of the momentum that led to their two-month surge up the standings.

A pregame trade for a familiar face sent the message that help was on the way. An even more familiar one shook off an achy neck and shut down the Washington Nationals.

Francisco Liriano allowed three hits over six-plus dominant innings and the Pirates raced by the Nationals 7-3 on Thursday night. Liriano, scratched from a start in Milwaukee over the weekend with a neck injury, struck out 11 against three walks as Pittsburgh snapped a seven-game losing streak to Washington.

The Nationals didn’t even manage a ball out of the infield until Ian Desmond’s single with no outs in the fifth. Liriano retired the first 12 hitters he faced on either strikeouts or grounders back to the mound.

“I can’t remember a game through four innings where the only people that played were the pitcher, the catcher and the first baseman,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “I haven’t seen that before.”

Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez and Francisco Cervelli homered for Pittsburgh. Starling Marte and Jung Ho Kang added two hits apiece for the Pirates, who acquired third baseman Aramis Ramirez from the Brewers before the game to bolster an infield dealing with injuries to Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer.

Doug Fister (3-6) labored through five innings, giving up four runs and nine hits to drop his third straight decision. Desmond had two of Washington’s six hits, including a two-run homer in the ninth.

“It’s inexcusable,” Fister said. “I started getting to feeling better and strong and being able to kind of locate [but I’m] messing up too many pitches.”

The Pirates came home for a brief four-game series against the Nationals following a bumpy start to the season’s second half. Pittsburgh dropped five of six on the road and watched Mercer join Harrison on the disabled list with a sprained left knee.

Pittsburgh improved to 10-1 in their last 11 games at PNC Park.