Pittsburgh Pirates weekly report

The Pirates started the week on May 13 as winners over the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2. Ross Ohlendorf pitched six innings, giving up two hits and one earned run, and striking out five. Nyjer Morgan had a two-run single and Jack Wilson and Adam LaRoche had RBI doubles.

The Cardinals on May 14 broke the Pirates' two-game winning streak. Jeff Karstens fell to a record of 1-2 in the 5-1 loss. Karstens made just one mistake, allowing a two-run homer in the second, but the Pirates couldn't capitalize on a number of scoring opportunities. He pitched six innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs, walking none and striking out two.

On May 15, the Pirates started a series with the Colorado Rockies with a 3-1 loss. Paul Maholm, pitched well, giving up five hits in seven shutout innings, and Craig Monroe broke a scoreless tie in the sixth with an RBI single, but Matt Capps (0-3) gave up three runs in the top of the ninth to take the loss.

On May 16, Sean Burnett (1-1) notched his first win of the season in a 7-4 victory over the Rockies. After a long rain delay, the Pirates erased an early 3-0 deficit. Starter Ian Snell struggled, but the bullpen provided enough relief to ensure the win. Matt Capps got his seventh save.

On Sunday, Zach Duke improved his record to (5-3) as the Pirates took the rubber game of the series with the Rockies 11-4. The Pirates, down 4-1, came out of the seventh-inning stretch with hot bats, scoring 10 runs. Nate McLouth notched three RBIs, Andy LaRoche added two and three other Bucs collected RBIs in the inning en route to an easy win.

On Monday, the Pirates opened a series against the Washington Nationals with a 12-7 win. The Bucs scored five times in the sixth inning, led by Jack Wilson, who fell a home run short of the cycle with two doubles, a single and a triple that led off the eighth inning. Ross Ohlendorf (5-3) got the win, throwing five innings and giving up six hits and five earned runs.

On Tuesday, the Pirates won their fourth straight game with an 8-5 win over the Nationals. The Pirates jumped off to an early five-run lead but the Nationals fought back and tied it in the bottom of the ninth. Adam LaRoche's two-run double in the top of the 10^th powered a three-run rally that left the Pirates on top. Tom Gorzelanny (1-0) got the win in relief.