This time, it was the ninth — not the eighth — inning that proved to be troublesome for the Washington Nationals.
Reliever Wander Suero allowed an RBI ground-rule double to Pittsburgh outfielder Jason Martin with two outs in the ninth Sunday and the Nationals fell 4-3 at home to the Pirates. The Nationals could not rally back, despite having the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning.
Typically in the ninth, the Nationals turn to closer Sean Doolittle. But manager Dave Martinez elected to put Suero in, given Doolittle had thrown 35 pitches in back-to-back appearances.