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Washington Nationals top Pirates, clinch NL East

Chris Graham

washington nationalsThe magic number is zero. Washington topped Pittsburgh, 6-1, on Saturday night, and with the New York Mets losing to Philadelphia, the Nationals have clinched the NL East.

The Nats (90-64) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first on a sac-fly by Bryce Harper and a two-run single by J.D. Drew.

A pair of fielder’s choice RBIs off the bats of Jayson Werth and Harper, aided by Pirates errors, and a sac-fly by Anthony Rendon pushed the lead to 6-1 in the fourth.

Reynaldo Lopez (4-3, 4.54 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) earned the win in relief, giving up three hits in five and two-thirds scoreless innings, striking out six and walking two.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].