Nats blow early lead, fall to Pirates 7-2 OR Pirates plunder sub-par pitching (again)

What a revolting development THAT was.

What IS it about the Pittsburgh Pirates that makes them morph into the Detroit Tigers whenever they meet the Washington Nationals? Their record isn't much better, only a couple of games better, yet they almost-completely own the Nats, having won 4 of 5 games played so far this month, the Nats having secured their 1 victory by 1 run.

Nats starter Jason Bergmann began the game well-enough, but got completely hammered in the 2nd inning to the tune of 6 runs off of 8 hits. He threw 45 strikes on 73 pitches (62%), but walked 2 and only struck out 1. Chris Schroeder pitched 2 innings, giving up 1 run. Luis Ayala and Chad Cordero pitched the 8th and 9th respectively and without giving up any hits or runs.

Ryan Report: Church went 0 for 3 with a walk, Zimmerman showed some renewed life, going 2 for 4 with a double, Langerhans did not play, and Austin Ryan Kearns went 0 for 3 with a walk.

The Nats finish the month of June with a 10-16 record, 32-48 overall.

Sunday, the Nats can avoid their second consecutive sweep with a victory, and they entrust that task to starter Mike Bacsik.