Washington Nationals drop series opener in extras, 6-3 Pittsburgh Pirates in D.C.

Patrick Corbin struck out 11 of the 25 batters he faced over seven strong innings, but the bullpen gave up a lead in the eighth as the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied from a run behind to take a 3-2 lead.

Anthony Rendon homered for the second time on the night and sixth time this season to tie it up at 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth, but it went to extras and a three-run blast by pinch hitter Colin Moran off Justin Miller in the tenth got the visitors a win in the series opener, 6-3 final.

Corbin vs Pittsburgh: In the second of two starts against the New York Mets this season, Nats’ left-hander Patrick Corbin gave up six hits (3 of them home runs), a walk, and three earned runs, receiving no decision in what ended up a 6-5 loss in Citi Field last time out before tonight.

He’d allowed only four home runs total in his previous 19 starts going back to last season before giving up the three in NY.

“The three mistakes I did make they made me pay for it,” Corbin said after the game. “Just hung a breaking ball there and left a couple fastballs over the middle.”

Back home in the nation’s capital tonight, he made another mistake early, on an 0-1 fastball up in the zone to Josh Bell in the second that the Pirates’ first baseman clobbered, sending one out to left field for an early 1-0 lead.

Corbin held the Pirates there through five, as the Nats jumped out to a 2-1 lead, striking out eight of 18 batters faced on 69 pitches, and he added a K in the sixth, for nine from 21, and was up to 11 from 25 at the end of a 20-pitch seventh in which he worked around a two-out single for a scoreless frame.

Patrick Corbin’s Line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 Ks, 1 HR, 106 P, 65 S, 5/3 GO/FO.

#ZimCanStillPickIt:

Trevor Williams in D.C.: Trevor Williams tossed six scoreless against Cincinnati in his 2019 debut on the road in Great American Ball Park, then gave up seven hits and four runs (three earned) in another six-inning outing against the Reds in start No. 2 at home in PNC Park.

In start No. 3, tonight in Nationals Park, Williams got a 1-0 lead to work with in the top of the second, but gave it right back, issuing one and two-out walks, to Ryan Zimmerman and Wilmer Difo, respectively, before Patrick Corbin came through with an RBI single to make it a 1-1 game.

It was 2-1 Nationals in the third after Anthony Rendon hit a first-pitch slider from Williams out to left field and into the visitor’s bullpen for a leadoff shot, his 5th of 2019.

Williams held the Nationals there through six, but was lifted with a runner on third and one out in the seventh after Matt Adams hit a pinch hit double off the right-hander and moved to third base on a sac bunt by Victor Robles...

Trevor Williams’ Line: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 Ks, 1 HR, 93 P, 58 S, 4/5 GO/FO.

Rendon is Streaking: Anthony Rendon started the series against the Pirates with a 10-game hit streak going, over which the 28-year-old corner infielder was 18 for 38 (.474 AVG), with seven doubles, four home runs, 14 RBIs, five walks, and 15 runs scored over that stretch, and he also had an eight-game extra-base hit streak going.

He extended it to an 11-game streak in the bottom of the third, hitting a 77 MPH first-pitch slider from Trevor Williams into the left field bullpen for a solo shot and a 2-1 lead.

Rendon homered again in the bottom of the eighth, tying it up at 3-3 after the Pirates took a 3-2 lead in the top of the inning.

BULLPEN ACTION: Right-hander Richard Rodriguez took over for the Pirates with a runner (Matt Adams) on third and one out in the bottom of the seventh, and got two outs without the runner coming home, with help from left fielder Pablo Reyes, who made a spectacular diving play to rob Brian Dozier of a potential two-out RBI hit.

Tony Sipp took over for the Nationals in the top of the eighth and gave up leadoff and one-out hits to Erik González and Adam Frazier, with Frazier’s a line drive to right on which the Nationals’ right fielder, Adam Eaton, overthrew third, allowing the pinch hitting Frazier to move up to second base, which ended up hurting the Nats...

That was it for Sipp as Nats’ skipper Davey Martinez went to the bullpen again for righty Kyle Barraclough, who gave up a two-run single to left by Starling Marte, 3-2 Pirates. Barraclough got the next two outs to keep it a one-run game.

Keone Kela got the bottom of the eighth for the Bucs, and gave up a game-tying solo home run by Anthony Rendon, 3-3. Rendon’s second of the night and sixth of the season.

Sean Doolittle retired the first batter he faced in the Pirates’ ninth, but J.B. Shuck battled for nine pitches in his one-out at bat and tripled to left-center, just out of Victor Robles’s reach, but he got thrown out on a grounder to first by Bucs’ catcher Jacob Stallings when a strong throw home by Ryan Zimmerman beat him to the plate. Doolittle struck Erik Gonzalez out to end the top of the ninth.

Nick Burdi got the bottom of the ninth for the Pirates and worked around a one-out double by Howie Kendrick to send it to extras.

Matt Grace gave up a leadoff double to left by Melky Cabrera on a 1-0 sinker in, and then threw high to first, pulling Ryan Zimmerman off the bag on a sac bunt attempt by Adam Frazier, first and third.

Starling Marte grounded back to Miller for out No. 1, but pinch hitter Colin Moran got all of an 0-2 fastball down the middle and hit a three-run home run to right to put the Pirates up again, 6-3.

Felipe Vázquez, née Rivero, took the ball in the ninth and worked around a two-out double by Juan Soto for a scoreless frame.

Nationals now 6-6