PITTSBURGH -- The Nationals stuck with their ace. The Pirates made them pay. Josh Harrison had a tiebreaking, two-out single two batters after Jose Tabata hit a sacrifice fly off of Stephen Strasburg in the seventh inning, and Pittsburgh handed Washington its fourth straight defeat, 3-2 Saturday night. Strasburg, who struck out 14 in a memorable major league debut against the Pirates almost four years ago, did not allow a hit Saturday until Walkers homer to centre with one out in the fourth. Pittsburgh managed just three more singles off Strasburg until the seventh, when Russell Martin led off with a single and went to third on a one-out double by Starling Marte before scoring on the sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Tabata. "(Strasburg) pitched very well," Washington manager Matt Williams said. "Of course, they got to him in that last inning but I want to give him a chance to get out of there with a tie game. He was still strong. Hes our ace, hes deserves a chance to get out of it and it didnt work out." Gerrit Cole left after six innings trailing by a run while facing Strasburg in the first matchup in the NL of No. 1 overall draft picks in nine years. Cole -- the top pick of the 2011 draft, two years after Strasburg went first -- allowed two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. Strasburg (3-4) allowed three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings. Strasburg insisted he wasnt losing his stuff as he crossed the 100-pitch plateau in the seventh. "My command was still pretty good," he said. "I got a pitch in on Martin and he dumped it into the outfield. I tried to pitch around a couple of guys. The pitch that killed me was the hanging curveball to Marte. That really set up the inning for them." Of the Harrison at-bat, Strasburg said: "Hes the type of hitter whos going to put the ball in play and he put it in the right place." Harrison followed pinch-hitter Travis Snider, whom the Nationals intentionally walked after Strasburg fell behind 2-0. "I was pretty much telling myself, I feel like Im seeing everything hes throwing," Harrison said of his seventh-inning at bat against Stephen Strasburg. "I was just looking to barrel something up." Neil Walker hit his 10th home run for the Pirates, who tied their season-best winning streak of four. Jered Hughes (3-1), Jeanmar Gomez and Mark Melancon each worked a perfect inning of relief for Pittsburgh. Melancon picked up his ninth save when he finished the Pirates majors-best 14th one-run victory. Ian Desmond hit his ninth homer for Washington (24-25), which has lost six of eight and fell under .500 for the first time this season. "Its tough -- were all trying very hard, trying to get back on track," Strasburg said. "I do think weve probably reached the point where were trying too hard and need to take a step back and let the game come to us." The bullpen backed up Cole, who allowed 10 baserunners and threw 112 pitches in six innings, retiring the side in order only once. Still, Pittsburgh won for the fourth time in five May starts by Cole. Wilson Ramos sawed-off, bloop single in the sixth scored Anthony Rendon to give the Nationals a 2-1 lead. Greg Dobbs went 2 for 4 for the Nationals. NOTES: The Mets Kris Benson (the No. 1 pick of the 1996 draft) faced Cincinnatis Paul Wilson (No. 1 overall in 1994) on May 16, 2005 -- the most recent occurrence of top picks facing each other in the NL. It happened in the American League two years ago (Kansas Citys Luke Hochevar vs. Tampa Bays David Price on Aug. 21, 2012). . 1B Adam LaRoche joined the Nationals in Pittsburgh and will be activated for Sundays game. Infielder Zach Walters was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse after Saturdays game to make room for LaRoche, who has been on the disabled list since May 10 because of a right quad strain. ... SS Desmonds homer gives the Nationals 17 this season from their middle infielders, most in the majors. . The four-game series wraps up Sunday when Washington RHP Doug Fister (1-1, 3.93) faces Pirates LHP Francisco Liriano (0-4, 4.86). Despite his record, Pittsburgh has won five of Lirianos past six starts. Gary Sheffield Dodgers Jersey . A night later, he was back to help lead a rout of the Detroit Pistons. John Wall had 20 points and 11 assists, and Beal scored 10 of his 15 points during the second quarter as Washington pulled away for a 106-82 victory on Saturday. Jedd Gyorko Jersey .com) - Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James will sit out Thursdays game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with left knee soreness. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/425h-...ey-dodgers.html. The R&A announced Monday that golfs oldest championship will return to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time since Max Faulkner won in 1951. Manny Mota Jersey . Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the Houston Texans No. 1 pick in the draft, was on the field Tuesday for the first time with former NFL Defensive Player of the Year J. A. J. Pollock Dodgers Jersey . None of them are Finlands Pekka Rinne, who stands as Canadas biggest challenge in Thursdays quarter-final round. Even while a young Finnish team has struggled with penalties, turnovers and a lack of offensive depth, Rinne has been a rock with a 1.SAN DIEGO -- At the end of the longest nine-inning game in San Diego Padres history, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle summed it up best Monday night. "Its time to go home," he said. Jordy Mercer homered and matched a career high with four of Pittsburghs 16 hits in a 10-3 romp over the Padres. Neil Walker added three hits and three RBIs, and Josh Harrison also had three hits to help Pittsburgh win for the ninth time in 13 games. The Pirates are enjoying their West Coast swing so far. After taking three of four at Dodger Stadium, they headed south and won again in a game that took 4 hours, 4 minutes. "It was a long one, thats for sure," Mercer said. "But it is always good when you score a lot of runs." Charlie Morton (2-7) tied a career best with nine strikeouts in five innings. He allowed two runs and three hits in winning for the first time in five road starts this year. Three relievers finished the five-hitter after Mortons curveball baffled the Padres. "He was still dealing with baserunners," Hurdle said. "But he was able to compete and get outs when he needed to. He gave us five solid innings." Mercer scored four times from the No. 8 spot in the batting order and went 4 for 5 to raise his average 20 points to .219. He entered with one home run and seven RBIs in 146 at-bats. "The people believe in me here," Mercer said. "Having that support, having that confidence every time, its nice." Hurdle talked about how dangerous this Pirates lineup can be. Mercer agreed. "I think when we all get hot theres no telling what we can do," Mercer said. "The skys the limit for us because we can hit the ball out of the ballpark, we can run, we can do all sorts of stuff. Its just a matter of us all clicking together." Tim Stauffer (2-2) lasted only 2 2-3 innings, his second consecutive disappointing start since being inserted into the rotation because of elbow injuries to Andrew Cashner and Robbie Erlin. "The first two innings were pretty good, then he seemed to lose the feeling for his pitches," San Diego manager Bud Black said. The PPadres threw 249 pitches, the most ever by their staff in a nine-inning game.dddddddddddd. "It was just unfortunate it unraveled the way it did," Stauffer said. The Pirates broke open the game with three runs each in the seventh and eighth. The big blow was Walkers two-run double in the seventh, propelling Pittsburgh to its sixth win in the last nine road games. Four times in the previous six innings the Pirates loaded the bases but scored only one run. They stranded a season-high 16 runners. The teams combined for 12 walks and six hit batters. Through the first four innings, Morton didnt allow a run or hit -- although the Padres reached on an error, two walks and two hit batters. But in the fifth, Everth Cabreras double drove in Alexi Amarista after he opened the inning with a single. Seth Smith drove in Cabrera with a single, trimming the Pirates lead to 3-2, but pinch-hitter Tommy Medica struck out with the bases loaded. Pittsburgh had extended its advantage to 3-0 on Mercers RBI single in the fourth. Starling Marte scored after he was hit by a pitch from reliever Alex Torres. Mercer snapped a scoreless tie with a home run to start the third inning, a 414-foot shot into the second deck beyond the left-field fence. Ike Davis sacrifice fly scored Harrison for a 2-0 lead. NOTES: Cashner threw a four-inning simulated game and didnt report any discomfort. Cashner, on the DL since mid-May with a sore right elbow, could start this weekend. "That was a good step forward," Black said. Cashner said hes adjusted the grip on his slider to take pressure off his elbow. ... Erlin hasnt been cleared to resume throwing. Hes on the DL with a sore left elbow. ... Pirates RHP Stolmy Pimentel (right shoulder inflammation) made a rehab start at Class-A Bradenton, throwing two scoreless innings. ... Harrison has batted leadoff 15 straight times, the longest stretch by a Pirates player this season. ... RHP Gerrit Cole (5-3, 3.80 ERA) faces Padres RHP Jesse Hahn on Tuesday. It will be Hahns major league debut after appearing in 10 games with Double-A San Antonio, where he was 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA. ' ' '