The Washington Nationals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-1 Wednesday at PNC Park. The Nationals jumped on Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove for six runs in the third inning. Musgrove allowed five earned runs on seven hits in five innings. His record fell to 8-12. Nationals starter Patrick Corbin held the Pirates to three hits over eight innings for his 10th victory.
The Pirates and Nationals complete their four-game series tonight at 7:05pm. Steven Brault will start for the Pirates. Max Scherzer will start for Washington. The Pirates host Cincinnati this weekend.
The Pirates placed pitchers Chris Archer and Clay Holmes on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday. Archer has right shoulder inflammation, while Holmes has left quadriceps discomfort.
Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds had two of the Bucs five hits and upped his batting average to .325 overall. Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets are tied for the National League lead at .332.
Wednesday’s loss was the 30th game this season that the Pirates have been defeated by five or more runs. Only the Baltimore Orioles are worse with 38.