The Pirates dropped the third game of their four-game set against the Washington Nationals in decisive fashion 9-3, which increased their deficit to seven games behind division-leading St. Louis.
A.J. Burnett struggled for the second consecutive start, giving up 11 hits and five earned runs over 5.2 innings. He was able to strike out eight Washington batters, but was inconsistent with his command throughout the night.
“The control was terrible,” Burnett said following the game. “I’m hitting guys in the foot, throwing balls down the middle [of the plate], throwing balls away at first, didn’t cover home.