Pirates open four-game stand with Nationals

The Pittsburgh Pirates have won just two of their first five games heading into a four-games series against the visiting Washington Nationals that opens Thursday.

While not much has gone right for the Pirates in recent seasons, they so far have seemed to hit the right tone in crowning 25-year-oldthird baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes a cornerstone of the franchise.

One day after the Pirates signed Hayes to a big contract extensio