Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Ryan Doumit went 3-for-4 with a home run, and Ian Snell threw six-plus solid innings, as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged Washington, 3-1, in the middle contest of a three-game set.

Snell (3-6) gave up just one run on six hits, with three walks and six strikeouts, to pick up the win, the Pirates' third in their past four games. Matt Capps picked up his 16th save of the season after his debacle in the ninth inning of Tuesday's series opener, when he gave a two-run homer to Lastings Milledge that propelled the Nationals to a 7-6 win.

Doumit continued his hot hitting for Pittsburgh, as on Tuesday he hit a pair of homers and a pair of doubles. Wednesday, his three hits were joined by Xavier Nady and Jason Bay, who each drove in a run for the Pirates.

"It was real important," Snell said of the win, which was also his first since April 12. "I like to see our team do something special; we're going to do something special. Right now we're playing good baseball, and it's going to continue."

John Lannan (4-7) gave up only two runs on seven hits in six frames of work, but took the loss for Washington, which has dropped five of six. Elijah Dukes drove in the only run for the Nationals, while Ronnie Belliard, Jesus Flores and Felipe Lopez each had a double.

"You really can't control wins or losses," Lannan said. "I can control what I can do. Basically ERA and keeping guys off base with walks. I just try to keep the team in the ballgame, and that's basically what I'm trying to do."

After the Nationals had gotten within a run in the top of the seventh, the Pirates rallied in the bottom half. Freddy Sanchez hit a one-out single and Bay worked a walk. Doumit then lofted a short fly ball to center, but Milledge couldn't get to it in time. As the center fielder dove, the ball grazed the top of his glove, and all runners were safe to load the bases.

Nady dropped in another bloop hit for the Pirates, as his pop-up to right was several feet beyond the reach of the second baseman Lopez. Sanchez scored on the play, and the bases remained loaded.

However, Joel Hanrahan struck out Adam LaRoche and Jose Bautista to end the threat.

But the Pirates' bullpen was strong, and Tyler Yates tossed a scoreless eighth inning, leading to Capps in the ninth. He gave up an initial walk to pinch- hitter Ryan Langerhans, but got Cristian Guzman to line out to right and Dukes to ground into a double play to end the game.

The Pirates got on the board first with a run in the opening inning. Nate McLouth hit a long fly ball to right-center field that bounced off an angle in the outfield wall, resulting in a double. Sanchez followed that with a single past a diving Belliard at third to put both runners in scoring position. Bay then hit a line-drive double to left, but only one runner scored as the Pirates took a 1-0 edge.

Neither team scored until Doumit reached out for a low curveball, and blasted it to the stands in left-center field, putting Pittsburgh ahead by two in the fifth.

Snell got through six innings without much trouble, but in the seventh had Lopez smack a leadoff double and Willie Harris walk. Pirates manager John Russell opted to go to the bullpen, and Damaso Marte got two consecutive outs before Dukes grounded a single back up the middle to plate Lopez.

However, Marte induced a Milledge fly out to end the frame.