WASHINGTON — Twice Tuesday night, Pirates pitchers faced No. 9 hitter Wilmer Difo with a man on first and Bryce Harper lurking in the on-deck circle. Twice, they walked him. For one night at least, Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez’s strategy of putting Harper atop his lineup worked.
The Nationals buried the Pirates at Nationals Park, 12-4, as the Pirates lost their second game in the four-game series. Chad Kuhl allowed four home runs, Tyler Glasnow allowed six runs in an inning, and the Nationals piled on 10 runs in the fifth and sixth.
The Nationals have played 10 games decided by one run and lost eight of them.