Pirates

STEPHEN STRASBURG pitched as badly as his teammates have been playing. Strasburg gave up a career-high seven runs in five innings Tuesday night and the first-place Washington Nationals' losing streak reached five games when they were beaten by Ricky Nolasco and the last-place Miami Marlins, 9-0. Nolasco (10-12) allowed five hits in his third career shutout and eighth complete game. Strasburg (15-6) came into the game with a streak of 27 consecutive scoreless innings against Miami in five starts since last September.

EVEN PITTSBURGH outfielder Pedro Alvarez was starting to lose focus in the later stages of the Pirates' 6-3, 19-inning win Sunday over St. Louis. "I was getting a little stagnant out there," he said. "It's one of those things where it's mind over matter. You've just got to fight and keep that desire going. " Alvarez played a big role in ending the marathon with his 23rd homer of the season. The drive broke a 3-3 tie as the visiting Pirates won the longest game in the majors this season.

SAN FRANCISCO Giants general manager Brian Sabean insists his club's two suspended veteran players should have known better than to use performance-enhancing drugs. A day after outfielder and All-Star game MVP Melky Cabrera received a 50-game suspension for a positive testosterone test, Sabean said Thursday he was shocked when he received word of the suspension from Major League Baseball on Wednesday morning, not long before San Francisco's series finale against the Washington Nationals.

They give you a round bat and they throw you a round ball and they tell you to hit it square. - Willie "Pops" Stargell   He's been on my mind a lot of late, that Wilver Dornel Stargell, masher of monster home runs. He was a great grizzly bear of a man, but a teddy bear at heart. The franchise that he served so well has, without respite, fallen on hard times. If you're still a Pirates fan after all these years, then you, sir, get a medal for unshakable loyalty, with oak leaf cluster.

On Saturday at noon, bring your swim attire and old shoes to defend the Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation at Ridley Creek State Park from pirate invasion during Pirate Splash Day for kids. The invasion of the plantation farmhouse begins at 12:30, and youngsters can throw wet sponges at the captured pirates. The pirates will help kids play games, teaching them how to use their feet to wash clothes and bob for apples. There will be foot races and a run through mazes while being sprayed with water.

The Dodgers are trying desperately to enhance a nearly invisible offense and have targeted Houston first baseman Carlos Lee. According to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, the teams agreed on a trade Friday night and Houston GM Jeff Luhnow asked Lee to waive his no-trade clause Saturday. He had not done so by Saturday night and the deal that would send a minor leaguer to the Astros was on hold. The Dodgers were held scoreless Friday night for the fourth time in five games and for the sixth time in June.

Go back in time on Saturday while observing Independence Day at Fort Mifflin's annual Freedom Blast celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will allow families to experience what life was like at the fort from the Revolutionary War up to the Korean War. You can hear stories from the "soldiers" and civilians dressed in costumes. Kids can join the army and drill with wooden muskets. Children can also get practice tossing "hand grenades. " The celebration will include living-history activities and weapon and cannon demonstrations.

The show inside Citizens Bank Park on Thursday afternoon featured two acts: A horror, and a tragedy. If you missed the first 20 minutes, you missed the first act. If you left early, you missed the second one, the cruel one. Starter Kyle Kendrick quickly dug himself into a hole. He then scraped deeper. And deeper. He gave up five runs after facing six batters, and the Pirates resisted a late Phillies comeback to win, 5-4, and split the four-game series. "We were playing catch-up with them all day," manager Charlie Manuel said, "but we couldn't get to them.

With his first crack of the bat this season, Chase Utley sent a wave of electricity through the Citizens Bank Park seats Wednesday night. The Phillies tried to ride the emotion, but a comeback fell short, and that energy proved to be nothing more than helium. The Phillies' bullpen provided the needle, and the Pirates popped the Utley Day party balloon. A half inning after the 33-year-old second baseman homered in his almost movie-scripted return, Pittsburgh took the lead with three runs and didn't look back, resisting a Phillies comeback to win, 11-7, in front of 44,057 fans searching for hope, life, some sort of change to their season - anything.

CARLOS RUIZ tagged Michael McKenry on the shoulder and Michael Schwimer turned to the nearest human beings he could find. They were the fans seated behind the on-deck circle. Schwimer screamed at them in excitement, pumped his right arm, and dashed into the Phillies' dugout. "I was trying to stop myself," Schwimer said, "from jumping in the crowd. " The bullpen roulette spun Tuesday to the 26-year-old righthander, who said 3 weeks ago, "This is it. This is a huge opportunity.