Kevin Wolf, Associated Press Pirates starter Oliver Perez delivers against the Nationals last night in Washington. Perez gave up four runs on three hits in four innings. Click photo for larger image. Related articles Pirates Notebook: Duffy, McLouth removed from leadoff spot Cook: Jack flashes brilliance in grim season Game Statistics Provided by Forecaster Pirates vs. Nationals box score Game play-by-play

WASHINGTON -- A few hours before game time last night at RFK Stadium, Pirates manager Jim Tracy was asked if Oliver Perez would remain in the rotation despite his significant struggles.

"We need Oliver Perez," he answered emphatically and without hesitation. "We need him to be a good pitcher for us. I'm not going to sit here and suggest he has his head in a guillotine. We need to get him straightened out."

A few minutes after the latest loss for Perez and the team, 6-0 to the Washington Nationals, Tracy was asked the same question again.

"That's not the kind of question I'd answer right after a game," he replied in a hushed tone. "I don't see a change at this point in time."

He paused.

"I don't see where the answer is. I don't see it."

The softening of that stance seemed eminently understandable, given that Perez has had that head-spinning effect on managers and pitching coaches throughout his conundrum of a career.

Perhaps never more than now.

Perez, coming off two miserable starts and a bullpen session Wednesday that pitching coach Jim Colborn described as less than encouraging, was pulled after four innings, four runs and four walks in this one.

That was not the perplexing part, of course. Such performances have become the norm for Perez, whose record fell to 1-5 and ERA rose to 7.71, each the worst figure for a National League starter.

No, the curve that was thrown on this night was Perez's postgame revelation that he had studied videos of his outstanding 2004 season in the past week and decided to switch back to that delivery.

Was it his decision?

"My decision," Perez said.

A day earlier, Colborn had said the Pirates still were in the process of deciding whether or not Perez should revert.

Perez explained that he wanted to rediscover the velocity he has not shown on a regular basis since that year and that he felt this was the best way to achieve that.

"I used to throw hard," he said. "I'm trying to work on my mechanics to get back to that. I have to work on it."

Apparently, he has quite a ways to go. His velocity decreased from his previous start -- he seldom reached 90 mph -- and his command was not much better.

It was evident from ball one.

Leadoff man Marlon Byrd walked, to open the Washington first, then scored on Jose Vidro's hit-and-run double drilled into the left-field corner off an 87 mph fastball. Perez struck out Alfonso Soriano, but Nick Johnson walloped a 1-2 fastball -- clocked at a meager 84 mph -- over the center-field fence to put Washington up, 3-0.

"That's a pitch that should be 97 and inside," catcher Humberto Cota said. "He threw it over the plate at 84."

Cota, long Perez's most forthright critic, described Perez's velocity as being much better in bullpen sessions than in games. But Cota, as with everyone else, has no answers.

"He's just not throwing hard enough in games," Cota said. "But he's trying."

The Nationals added another run in the third on Jose Guillen's bases-loaded sacrifice fly, and Perez was lifted for a pinch-hitter after the fourth despite a pitch count of only 80.

Ryan Vogelsong continued his solid relief work of late with three scoreless, hitless innings to keep the deficit at 4-0. But John Grabow gave up Johnson's second home run, another two-run shot, in the eighth.

The Pirates' offense made sure none of the above mattered, anyway.

They were shut out for a second consecutive game and have gone 21 innings without a run, 29 without an extra-base hit. They mustered five hits while being limited to three or fewer runs for the 14th time in their past 15 games, a span in which they are batting .188.

"We weren't able to do much offensively," Tracy said. "I've been saying that an awful lot lately."

The previous two nights, there was the legitimate excuse of facing Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine in New York. Not on this night.

Washington's Zach Day entered 1-3 with a 9.82 ERA, but he whisked through seven innings and struck out five, just two below his previous season total.

"There's no luck in our hitting right now," second baseman Jose Castillo said. "It's everybody. We're working hard, but I don't know what's happening right now."

The Pirates fell to 1-4 on this trip and 8-23 overall. The record is tied for the second worst in franchise history through 31 games. Only the 1952 team, which opened 5-26, was worse.