Looking to stop a three-game skid and hold off a sweep by the Pirates, Nationals' ace Stephen Strasburg took the mound at PNC Park on Thursday night and mowed down the Pittsburgh lineup. Strasburg struck out 13 Pirates' hitters, the most since his 2010 debut when he struck out 14 against this same Pittsburgh team.
Strasburg went six innings, allowing five hits and two runs, one unearned. Aside from the two runs in the fourth inning, he was in complete control. He left at the end of the sixth, after blowing his 103rd pitch past Garrett Jones. He got a little wild in his final inning, walking the bases loaded and struggling a bit from the stretch. But he departs with a 3-2 lead, looking for his third win of the year.
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