The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Washington Nationals 4-3 Sunday. Reliever Felipe Vazquez pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to win the game. Vazquez pitched the final two innings for the first time in his career. Jameson Taillon started for the Bucs, and allowed three runs over six innings. Josh Bell, Colin Moran and Adam Frazier had two hits each. Bell had two doubles and drove in two.
The Pirates are 8-6 overall and a game behind first-place Milwaukee. They are off today and visit Detroit Tuesday.
Chris Archer dropped his appeal and began serving a five-game suspension Sunday. Archer allowed one run while striking out nine in the Pirates 3-2 loss Saturday. Reliever Richard Rodriguez allowed back-to-back home runs in relief of Archer.