GAME THREAD: NL: WASHINGTON (32-47) at PITTSBURGH (34-45)

Six-run second lifts Pirates past Nationals

<h3>PITTSBURGH 7, WASHINGTON 2</h3>PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- On a night when thousands of PittsburghPirates fans staged a walkout to protest 15 consecutive losingseasons, the team turned in a quality performance.

Tom Gorzelanny pitched 7 1/3 innings of solid ball and AdamLaRoche had three RBI as the Pirates rode a six-run secondinning to a 7-2 victory over the Washington Nationals onSaturday.

Gorzelanny (8-4) allowed two runs and five hits, striking outsix and walking three for Pittsburgh, which has won four offive.

"Another great pitching performance by Gorzelanny," Pittsburghmanager Jim Tracy said. "I thought he looked real free and easytonight. He looked very at ease in his delivery. The ball wascoming out of his hand really well tonight."

The Pirates broke the game open in the second, sending 10 men tothe plate. After Xavier Nady singled and Ryan Doumit doubled,Nationals starter Jason Bergmann walked Ronny Paulino and JackWilson singled to center to score Nady and Doumit.

"(A six-run inning) gives you a little room to work with,"Gorzelanny said. "It helps you get into a rhythm and settledown."

Four batters later, Freddy Sanchez singled to center to drive inPaulino and Wilson, and LaRoche followed by plating NateMcLouth and Sanchez with a double to center.

"That's what we've been missing all year," LaRoche said."Getting those big hits. What it does is it gives you a cushion,and then (Gorzelanny) does his job and settled in and we get awin."

Ronnie Belliard hit his third home run for reeling Washington,which has lost five in a row, six of seven and 11 of 14.

After the game, the Nationals had a closed-door clubhousemeeting in which manager Manny Acta addressed the players. Thefirst-year skipper had actually planned the meeting before thegame.

"It's been the same thing over and over," Acta said. "I justdon't want the guys to fall into that routine."

Players said Acta never raised his voice or singled out anyindividuals during the meeting, which lasted more than 10minutes.

"He's just frustrated," veteran Robert Fick said. "He said wejust can't fall into that trap of, 'We are supposed to be a(lousy) team.'"

The Nationals scored the game's first run in the first whenDmitri Young's single scored Ryan Zimmerman, who was 2-for-4 inthe contest.

Considering Washington had scored a total of five runs in itsprevious four games and had not scored six in a contest sinceJune 18, that figured to be all Gorzelanny needed.

The lefthander, who entered the game with a 3.10 ERA that ranked10th in the National League, has not given up six runs in agame this season and has only allowed more than three runstwice. He is a candidate to be named to the National LeagueAll-Star team when the rosters are announced Sunday.

"We will just have to wait and see (Sunday)," Gorzelanny said."If I go, it's exciting and I'd love it. But if not either way,it's O.K."

Bergmann (1-5), who was making his second start since recoveringfrom elbow inflammation that caused him to miss five weeks,allowed six runs and eight hits in four innings, walking two andstriking out one.

"I just didn't have a feel for any one of my pitches," Bergmannsaid. "Each one of my breaking pitches let me down at one timeor another. The command of my pitches wasn't where it needed tobe. I never felt really comfortable out there today."

LaRoche hit his 10th homer of the season with nobody on in thefifth to make it 7-1. But Belliard's shot to left got that runback for Washington a half-inning later.

Thousands of fans in the crowd of 26,959 left their seats at theend of the third inning in a walkout that had been publicizedthroughout the week in Pittsburgh. Many rallied beforehandacross the street from the park outside a bar.

Protesting fans, angered by a perceived lack of financialcommitment to the team by principal owner Bob Nutting, woregreen shirts. Most did not leave the stadium and only retreatedto the concourse to return to their seats for the start of thefifth inning.