The Pirates took an early 4-0 lead, blew it and then scored seven runs in the last two innings to cruise to an 11-5 win over the Nationals and a road series win to move to 46-45. Bubba Chandler squandered a 4-0 lead and only went four plus innings. The Pirates offense got the job done again in this win with 13 hits and two big home runs from the All-Star snubs of Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds. DiNardo and Doug broke this one down on the NS9 Postgame Show powered by Primanti Bros. You can watch/listen here:

Here’s my three takeaways from this one…

Step Back for Bubba with this Outing

Bubba Chandler had been pitching well for about the past month as he had four straight outings with two earned runs or less allowed and had his walks under control. His last start against the Phillies was a pretty good start that went downhill when he came out for the 7th inning, let a couple on and the bullpen allowed some inherited runners to score. But Sunday afternoon was a step back for Chandler. Against a good, young Nationals lineup, he struggled as his control issue reared its ugly head again.

Chandler walked four, struck out NONE and gave up four runs on six hits. Even worse was the Pirates spotted him a 4-0 lead to which he gave up three runs in the third and fourth innings. He came back out for the 5th inning and walked James Wood, gave up a single to Luis Garcia and then walked Curtis Mead to load the bases. Mason Montgomery came in to relieve him and allowed just one run on a sac fly or it could have been an even worse line for Bubba. Overall, he threw 86 pitches and just 47 strikes and didn’t record an out in that 5th inning. It was arguably his worst start since back in May. Bubba will get one more start before the All-Star break against the Brewers at home and it would be nice for Chandler to put together a better start to end the first half on a good note.

Big Game for Griffin

Konnor Griffin led off again and had a game Sunday to help the Pirates win the series. Griffin went 2-for-4, a run scored and a walk and had two big RBIs in the 8th inning to break a 4-4 tie. But two of his biggest plays may have been in the field as he made two running backward, over-the-shoulder diving catches to keep the Nationals from two big hits. Oh yeah, he also stole a base. Konnor has been in the leadoff role since Spencer Horwitz went on the IL and he’s producing in it. He had a nice road series in Washington overall with five hits and even stole home Saturday night.

I’m loving everything we are seeing from Griffin since coming back from the IL. He’s showing, even at 20 years old, that he can do everything in the Majors—hitting, defense and speed on the base paths.

A 4-3 Roadtrip Will Work

It’s baby steps here, but a 4-3 road trip is a nice step in the right direction. The Pirates split a four-game series with a good Phillies team in Philly and then took this series over the Nationals in the nation’s capital. They faced a good team and then a team that’s very similar to them in the Nats that have a very good offense, decent starting pitching and a struggling bullpen. The Pirates stopped their “dropping a game under .500” trend Sunday with their second straight win, and they’re still in striking distance of hanging around if they can finally get hot and rip off a nice win streak.

The Pirates are now 23-23 on the road which is what you’ll take. Play .500 on the road and win 2/3 at home. They need to get hot now at home and stack some wins there. They have an off day Monday and then will finish the first half with a homestand against two first-place teams in the Braves and Brewers. It’s not going to get any easier, but going 4-3 on this road trip is a nice start.