Nationals right-handed starting pitcher Tanner Roark reared back and threw a 3-2 pitch to Corey Dickerson of the Pittsburgh Pirates to lead off the top of the seventh inning.
“I didn’t even turn around and look. It knew it was gone,” Roark said.
That homer cut the Washington lead to one on Monday night — and one-run games at Nationals Park have not been a good combination for the home side.
But Roark retired the next three batters, and relievers Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler each pitched scoreless frames as the Nationals held on to beat Pittsburgh 3-2 in the first of a four-game series.
“There have been a lot of one-run games,” said Washington shortstop Trea Turner, who had three hits to raise his average to .284.
The Nationals are now 1-6 in one-run games at home and 2-8 overall.
And those close games are leaving little margin of an error for the Washington offense, which now has a team batting average of .240 after leaving eight runners on base.
“We have to start scoring runs,” said Nationals rookie manager Dave Martinez. “When we have a chance to put teams away we have to put them away. We had opportunities, lots of them. We have to capitalize.”
Roark, pitching quickly and effectively like his vintage 2016 portfolio, allowed just two runs and six hits in seven innings and got his ERA down to 3.55.
Roark, who was 16-10 two seasons ago, is now 2-2 after allowing four runs in his previous outing on April 24. He is 27-9 with a 1.51 ERA in his career when he reaches seven innings in a start.
“It gives us a boost,” Roark said of being able to pitch seven innings. “I was trying to be aggressive. The sinker was working well night. (Matt) Wieters called a great game.”
Washington (13-16), after beating first-place Arizona at home Sunday, won for just the fifth time in 14 games this season at Nationals Park. The Pirates (17-12) entered Monday one-half game ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.
But the Nationals took a 1-0 lead in the second as third baseman Wilmer Difo had an RBI single to score speedy Michael A. Taylor, who had reached on a fielder’s choice and went to second on an error.
Washington then scored twice in the fourth as Roark and Turner had RBI singles to make it 3-0.
Roark finally flinched in the top of the fifth, allowing an RBI double to opposing hurler Jameson Taillon as the Pirates trimmed the margin to 3-1.
Losing pitcher Taillon (2-3) gave up three runs in six innings while Kintzler got his first save of the season.
Regular closer Sean Doolittle had pitched the previous three days. Martinez told Doolittle before the game he had the night off.
“Kintzler has been pitching really well so I gave him the ninth,” Martinez said. “If we start scoring runs we can give these (relievers) days off.”
That performance was good news as the Washington bullpen entered the game with an ERA of 4.91, just 12th out of 15 teams in the National League.
Injured second baseman Daniel Murphy was slated to see a doctor Monday, according to Martinez. The Nationals need his bat, as Bryce Harper was walked twice Monday and has 38 free passes in 29 games. He was 0-for-2 and his average has fallen to .247 while Howie Kendrick, batting fourth and back of Harper, was 0-for-4.
“He’s frustrated,” Martinez said of Harper getting walks. “Stay with it. It will change. I don’t think anybody will protect Harper. He’s that good.”
NOTES: Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon was eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday. But the Nationals have not decided if he will need a minor league rehab assignment before he joins the big league club. “He says he feels better every day. That could be a possibility,” Martinez said of a minor league stint … Washington ace Max Scherzer (5-1, 1.62) is slated to pitch Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. against Pirates right-hander Chad Kuhl (3-1, 4.55), who pitched six scoreless innings in 2016 against Scherzer at Nationals Park. The Pirates won that game 2-1 in 18 innings … Several Pirates fans were in the stands and some had signs referring to the NHL second-round playoff series between Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, which is tied 1-1 and continues Tuesday in the Steel City.
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