Greg Fiume, AFP, Getty Images Jason Bay is congratulated by Freddy Sanchez (12) and Jose Bautista (19) after they all scored on a double by Xavier Nady (not pictured) in the third inning last night against the Nationals last night at RFK Stadium in Washington. Click photo for larger image. More Coverage: Pirates Notebook: Davis starts in center, but for how long? Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic Bob Smizik: Sheffield should not escape punishment for latest remarks Today Game: Pirates (LHP Zach Duke 2-6, 5.73) vs. Washington Nationals (LHP Micah Bowie 2-2, 4.11), 7:05 p.m., RFK Stadium. TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7). Key matchup: Freddy Sanchez vs. any left-hander. He is batting .364 against southpaws this season, and his 77 hits against them since the beginning of the 2006 season are fourth-most in the N.L. in that span. Of note: Bowie's overall numbers are nothing special, and none of his four outings since joining the rotation has been a quality start. Still, Washington is 3-0 when he starts.

WASHINGTON -- The only evidence anyone should need that Salomon Torres is smoothing over his scars is this:

The man is speaking about himself in the third person again.

Sure, he had that sizzling 1-2-3 eighth inning that set up Matt Capps' save and allowed the Pirates to squeak past the Washington Nationals, 7-6, last night at RFK Stadium.

And yes, two of those outs came on his suddenly resurrected sinkers and splitters.

All good signs.

But the only certain way to know that all is well with Torres, especially in a week where he blew two late leads and lost his job as closer, is to see him smiling as he was after this one and to hear him relaying those one-of-a-kind conversations -- real or imaginary -- that he has with himself.

On his performance: "Sully showed up for work. He did a great job. Now, I encourage him to do it again."

On what he thought as he sat in the bullpen, watching his teammates take a 7-2 lead, only to have it evaporate into 7-6 by the seventh: "At any given moment, they're going to call your name. They've told me this is what we're going to need you for. Forget that you stunk as a closer. We need you to be the one to pass the baton to Cappy."

On the confidence he found in doing precisely that: "I have the ability to give the team one or two innings, then give the ball to my successor, Cappy. That's what I did. I was on. And, when I'm on, it's a beautiful thing."

It nearly was quite the opposite for the Pirates, clearly still woozy from those agonizing losses at PNC Park to the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers.

They smacked around Washington's erratic starter, Mike Bacsik, with a five-run fifth that was highlighted by a Jack Wilson home run and Xavier Nady's bases-clearing double. Freddy Sanchez's RBI double brought another in the fifth to chase Bacsik, and Ronny Paulino led off the sixth by taking reliever Winston Abreu deep.

It was 7-2, and Shawn Chacon, fresh off a 10-strikeout start, was on the mound.

Surely, this one would be easy.

Not with this team.

The Nationals scored three times in the sixth, two of those charged to Chacon, who was forced to exit with a line of four runs in 5 1/3 innings. Damaso Marte gave up two hits in as many at-bats and was tagged with the other run.

Nick Wass, Associated Press Jose Bautista collides with Nationals catcher Brian Schneider as he scores on a sacrifice fly by Xavier Nady in the fifth inning. Click photo for larger image.

Jonah Bayliss got the Pirates out of that mess, but he and John Grabow gave up another run in the seventh, and the score was 7-6.

Grabow stranded a runner at second by fanning Ryan Langerhans with a dirty changeup, and manager Jim Tracy, as promised, stuck by Torres by summoning him for the eighth.

"We need him," Tracy said.

They got the best version.

Torres struck out pinch-hitter Nook Logan swinging over a splitter, got Felipe Lopez to fly out to center and got Cristian Guzman the same way as Logan.

Twelve pitches, nine strikes and, most important in Torres' eyes, his out pitch was his out pitch.

"That's what I need," he said. "The splitter was back."

"That's the Salomon Torres we know," Tracy said. "Great splitter."

Capps had to record his second save by facing the heart of Washington's order, but Ryan Zimmerman popped up, Dmitri Young flied out to deep center, and Austin Kearns lined out to left.

As was the case with his first save, he fired fastballs and let his fielders do the work.

"One of these days, though, I'm not going to let them hit 'em so hard," Capps allowed with a grin.

Usually, the finish would not provide the highlight on a night when the Pirates hit multiple home runs for just the 10th time and achieved as many as five runs in an inning for just the fifth time.

Usually, the standout would have been Nady, having delivered that most precious of gems for the Pirates -- a musclebound stroke with the bases loaded -- as well as four RBIs, matching his career high.

After Wilson lined a Bacsik changeup over the left-field fence in the big third inning, Sanchez had an RBI single that tied the score at 2-2, and Jason Bay walked to load the bases.

Nick Wass, Associated Press Jack Wilson celebrates his third home run of the season last night against the Nationals. Click photo for larger image.

Nady, seeing Bacsik was wild, stayed off the first three pitches. He made up his mind to stay off the fourth one and was rewarded, in a way, by watching a fastball right down the pipe for a strike.

"Now, I knew I was swinging," Nady said. "I felt I was seeing the ball well, and I was going to give it a rip."

He drilled the next one -- fastball again -- to the gap in left-center, and bases cleared for a 5-2 lead.

That marked just the third extra-base hit with bases loaded for the Pirates all season.

"A huge hit," Tracy said. "It was early in the game, but it was one of those game-changing hits we've been talking about."

Two innings later, Nady came up with bases loaded again, this time off Abreu, and hit the ball nearly as hard to the same part of the field. Only this time, Washington had left fielder Ryan Church positioned closer to the gap, and all that resulted was a sacrifice fly.

"Too bad, huh?" Nady said. "Would have been nice."

As it was ...

"Good win," he said. "Especially the way that homestand went."

"Bottom line: We won," Chacon said. "And it was nice to see Salomon come in and pick us up the way he did. We needed that, too."

Surely no more than Torres did.

He seemed plenty aware of being booed at PNC Park last week, treatment that might have stung almost as much as his performances.

"I believe in what we're trying to do here," he said of the team. "I believe it's going to be a great season, and I've been waiting a long time for one of those. But I also understand it's only fair that I be the pitcher that people in Pittsburgh are expecting. That's what I'm going to work to be, day in and day out."