Nationals clinch playoff berth, beat Pirates, 6-1
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Washington Nationals clinched a postseason berth and no worse than a tie for the National League East title, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 Saturday night behind 5 1/3 scoreless innings from rookie reliever Reynaldo Lopez.
Stephen Drew’s two-run single capped a three-run first inning for the Nationals, who return to the postseason after a one-year absence. They reduced their magic number to one for their third division title in five years..
Lopez (4-3) came on to the start the bottom of the fourth inning with a 6-1 lead and allowed three hits while striking out five and walking one. He was removed a runner on first and one out in the ninth inning.
Marc Rzepczynski and Blake Treinen got one out each to end the game, and a pocket of Nationals’ fans behind the visiting dugout cheered.