The Nationals scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a Austin Kearns single and then held off the Pirates in the ninth inning to secure a 3-2 victory over the Pirates. Kearns single scored Cristian Guzman for the go ahead run.
Wil Nieves had two RBI to lead the Nationals in the game at the plate.
Odalis Perez pitched seven innings and only gave up three hits and two runs. Perez had a much better outing then his last outing when he was roughed up pretty bad. Luis Ayala pitched the eighth inning to pick up the win and Jon Rauch picked up the save in the ninth inning. Ayala’s win was his first win of the season and Rauch’s save was his sixth.
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