Pirates reliever Hanrahan gets win for former team as Nats beat Astros in suspended game

Hanrahan wins for Nats in finish of suspended game

HOUSTON — An error by Miguel Tejada in the 11th inning made former Nationals reliever Joel Hanrahan a winner Thursday night as Washington beat the Houston Astros 11-10 in the completion of a suspended game.

Hanrahan was traded by the Nationals on June 30 to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a deal for Nyjer Morgan, who scored the winning run Thursday. Hanrahan was pitching for the Nationals when the game was suspended by rain in Washington on May 5. He earned his first win of the season and is 1-3 overall. He would have been 1-1 if he won on May 5.

“It’s pretty funny,” Hanrahan told The Associated Press by phone from Philadelphia, where the Pirates face the Phillies on Friday. “It feels pretty good in the situation that we’re in. Houston is a team in our division and we gained ground.”

The game resumed with one out in the bottom of the 11th with a Washington runner on first base.

Josh Willingham singled before Josh Bard grounded into a force out to second. It looked like Tejada, covering second base, would easily get Bard out at first for the double play, but he instead threw it far over Lance Berkman’s head, allowing Morgan to score for the win.

It took just 7 minutes for the last-place Nationals to grab the win.

Houston reliever LaTroy Hawkins, who took the loss, would have been 0-1 if he lost on May 5. He’s now 1-3.