Pirates Look To Rebound Tonight Vs Nationals as Ian Snell Takes the Hill

  After a hideous 7-6 loss to the Washington Nationals, the Pittsburgh Pirates are left waiting for answers. They don't have long though, as they play the second game in a three game series against the Nationals at 7:05 at PNC Park.

  Tonight, the Pirates original ace Ian Snell will go up against John Lannan. Don't be fooled by Lannan's 4-6 record, as he has been great for the Nationals this season, posting an ERA of 3.47.

  Snell has had a rocky season full of inconsistencies, many of which have contributed to the Pirates having the worst pitching staff in the National League. Snell is 2-6 this year, with an era of 5.65, but he has been getting better over the last two starts.

Many are worried about his back since he took a hard ground ball on it in the third inning of his last start. He didn't look too good coming back to the dugout in the fifth.

  For the first time since he came of the disabled list, Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit had a great game. He went a perfect four for four, hitting two home runs and two monster doubles.

This is a great sign for Pirates fans as Doumit is proving himself is a young leader of the team and he is hitting better. He is making Pirates management look really smart in sending Ronny Paulino back to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Stats:

Wash. Batters vs Snell:

Felipe Lopez 3-12 (.250)

Austin Kearns 3-12 (.250)

Willie Harris 4-8 (.500)

Christian Guzman 2-7 (.286)

Lastings Milledge 4-7 (.571)

Ryan Langerhans 1-6 (.167) 1 home run

Nick Johnson 2-5 (.400)

Dmitri Young 3-5 (.667)

Aaron Boone 1-3 (.333)

Pitt. Batters vs Lannan:

Ryan Doumit 1-2 (.500)

Chris Gomez 1-2 (.500)

Doug Mientkiewicz 0-2 (.000)

Freddy Sanchez 0-2 (.000)

Jose Bautista 1-2 (.500) 1 home run

Nate McLouth 1-1 (1.000)

Xavier Nady 1-1 (1.000)

Jason Bay 1-1 (1.000)

Prediction: Pirates come back in a big way winning 7-1. Snell pitches six but not seven because manager John Russell and pitching coach Jeff Andrews will be cautious. Nate McLouth will hit the lone home run tonight. This series was the Pirates chance to be over .500 before interleague play began, but that chance was ruined with the Pirates lost last night. Stay tuned tomorrow for a preview of tomorrow night's game.