Pirates 1B Pedro Alvarez goes deep again on Friday

Frst baseman Pedro Alvarez put the Pirates on the board first on Friday, as he launched a two-run home run in the second inning. The home run, his 14th of the year, came off the Nationals' Max Scherzer, and gave the Pirates an early 2-0 lead, en route to the 7-5 victory.

It was the only hit for Alvarez on the night, but he has homered in back-to-back contests amid recent trade speculation. Alvarez is just 4 for 22 over his last seven ballgames.