Pittsburgh Pirates weekly report

The Pirates' winning ways continued on May 20 with a 2-1 victory over the Washington Nationals. John Grabow (2-0) got the win and Matt Capps secured his eighth save. Freddy Sanchez scored on a wild pitch in the ninth inning to lift the Pirates. Paul Maholm yielded one run in six innings, while Jack Wilson had an RBI double and Andy LaRoche collected three hits.

The Nationals put a stop to the Pirates' five-game winning streak on May 21, and the Bucs lost 5-4. Adam and Andy LaRoche contributed on the same night, but reliever Tom Gorzelanny (1-1) stumbled just enough to cost the Pirates a shot at a sweep of the Nationals.

On May 22, the Pirates played the White Sox in interleague play and lost 2-0. Zach Duke (5-4) threw a complete game but the Bucs' punchless offense left him with the loss. Duke allowed two runs on six hits and struck out seven. The Pirates were held to two hits.

On May 23, the Pirates again were shut out by the White Sox, this time 4-1. Ross Ohlendorf was sharp early on, but he gave up a two-run homer in the fifth inning and the Pirates, who had five hits, again failed to launch a rally. Ohlendorf pitched 7 2/3 innings, giving up six hits, three earned runs, walking two and striking out four.

On Sunday, the Bucs avoided a White Sox sweep with a 4-3 win. The Pirates erupted for two runs in the ninth on Jack Wilson's homer and Delwyn Young's RBI single and enabled John Grabow (3-0) to secure his third win of the season. Matt Capps recorded his ninth save of the year.

On Monday, the Pirates rode an offensive outburst by Freddy Sanchez to a 10-8 win over the Chicago Cubs. Sanchez, a veteran second baseman, rapped six of the Pirates' 18 hits, scored four runs and amassed three RBIs in the Bucs' second straight win. Tom Gorzelanny (2-1) got the win in relief of starter Paul Maholm, and Sean Burnett notched his first save of the season.

On Tuesday, the Bucs lost 6-1 to the Cubs. Ian Snell (1-6) lost again in a rain-shortened five-inning game at Wrigley Field. Freddy Sanchez followed up his 6-for-6 performance on Monday with two hits, but Snell's tendency to give up runs with two outs hurt him and the Pirates. Snell gave up eight hits, six earned runs, walked four and struck out four.