Washington Nationals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score on Jul 09, 2018

Gregory Polanco hit a two-run homer and a two-run single Monday, collecting four RBIs in the first two innings to help the host Pittsburgh Pirates win their second game in a row, 6-3 against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park.

Corey Dickerson added an RBI triple and scored twice, and Colin Moran had an RBI double for the Pirates.

Juan Soto and Bryce Harper hit solo homers for Washington, which lost its second straight and seventh in its past 10 games.

Pittsburgh starter Ivan Nova (5-6) gave up three runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out five and walking none. He served up the two homers one start setting a Pirates record by giving up five home runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Felipe Vazquez pitched the ninth for his 19th save.

Nationals rookie Jefry Rodriguez (0-1), making his third big league start, gave up six runs and eight hits in five innings, with four strikeouts and four walks. He has 17 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings in five career appearances.

Pittsburgh got right to it Monday. Dickerson led off the first with a single, followed by Starling Marte's double. Both scored on Polanco's base hit, and Moran drove in Polanco with a double to make it 3-0.

The Nationals got consecutive singles by Matt Adams, Daniel Murphy and Adam Eaton in the second to close it to 3-1.

Dickerson's RBI triple in the bottom of the second pushed Pittsburgh's lead to 4-1, and two batters later Polanco hit his 13th homer of the season to make it 6-1.

In the fifth, Soto hit his ninth homer, a two-out shot to right for Washington's second run.

Harper led off the sixth with his 22nd homer to make it 6-3. He clobbered a full-count elevated fastball 443 feet to the batter's eye in center.

Later in the inning, Eaton took exception to a called second strike -- and apparently to Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli's framing job and decision to step away from the batter's box. Eaton and Cervelli began jawing, prompting the benches and bullpens to clear, but order was quickly restored and no players were ejected.

--Field Level Media