LHP Sean Burnett has been quietly effective. Often matching up against left-handed hitters, Burnett pitched the eighth inning Thursday and retired the side in order as his ERA dropped to 0.82. Burnett has been pushing manager Davey Johnson to not forget about him. He even went into the manager’s office and put his jersey on Johnson’s desk, making Johnson laugh.
1B Adam LaRoche had an RBI triple in the sixth. That was LaRoche’s first triple of the season and just the 10th of his nine-year major-league career.
LF Michael Morse (lat injury) is progressing more quickly than anticipated and could be back in the lineup around June 1, manager Davey Johnson said.
C Jesus Flores broke up Pirates RHP James McDonald’s no-hit bid with a leadoff double in the sixth. Flores had gone just 1-for-10 on this home stand before lining a shot down the left-field line.
3B Ryan Zimmerman has been struggling recently. He was 1-for-16 in his last five games before getting a two-run single in the sixth inning Thursday. Zimmerman struck out in his three other at-bats.
