César Hernández led off with a hit in five straight games going into tonight’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates in PNC Park, reaching base safely to start each of the games on the Nationals’ current road trip.
In that stretch, the 31-year-old infielder was 8 for 22 (.364 AVG) with two walks and six runs scored, and he’d scored at least one run in six straight games.
Hernández got all of a 1-1 slider from Bucs’ starter Bryse Wilson tonight, but he lined out to right field for the first leadoff out this week.
Francophone:
Maikel Franco singled to start the top of the second, moved up on a wild pitch one out later, and scored on a double to left field by Alcides Escobar, as the Nationals went up, 1-0, on the Pirates in PNC after 1 1⁄2 innings.