Guzman equals career high with 6 RBIs, Washington Nationals beat Pittsburgh Pirates 9-8
Associated Press | May 3, 08 3:48 PM CDT in
Sports
Cristian Guzman tied a career high with six RBIs, including a tiebreaking three-run double in the sixth inning, and the Washington Nationals held off the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-8 on Saturday.
Guzman went 4-for-5 and scored two runs for the Nationals, who have won five of six. He also had six RBIs on June 24, 2001, for Minnesota at Detroit.
Jose Bautista homered and drove in three runs for the Pirates. He has three homers and seven RBIs in the last two games.
Washington pushed across four runs in the sixth inning to take a 9-5 lead. Wily Mo Pena led off with an infield squibber for a hit against Paul Maholm (2-3), who walked pinch-hitter Ronnie Belliard before being yanked in favor of Franquelis Osoria.
Felipe Lopez hit a flyball to right that Xavier Nady lost in the sun and Guzman cleared the bases with a double to right-center. Austin Kearns added a two-out RBI single.
Jesus Colome (1-1) got five outs and Jon Rauch worked the ninth for his seventh save in nine opportunities.
Maholm, who pitched a two-hitter in his last start April 27, gave up seven runs and 10 hits, walked three and struck out two.
The Nationals sent nine men to the plate and scored three runs in the second to take a 5-1 lead. Guzman hit a bases-loaded RBI single, Ryan Zimmerman plated a run with a fielder's choice and Lastings Milledge added a run-scoring single.
Bautista hit a leadoff homer against Washington starter Matt Chico in the fourth, and the Pirates knocked the left-hander from the game during a three-run fifth.
Freddy Sanchez singled with one out, went to third on Jason Bay's double and scored on an infield single by Nady. Adam LaRoche then singled in Bay and Chico departed. Bautista tied it with an RBI single off Colome.
Chico allowed five runs _ four earned _ and eight hits and three walks. He struck out four.
Nady doubled home two runs off Luis Ayala in the eighth, making it 9-8.
Guzman put Washington ahead 2-0 in the first, homering to left after a leadoff single by Lopez. It Guzman's third of the year.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.