Instant Analysis: Pirates 2, Nats 0
Jake Irvin gave up two quick runs in the first inning, and that proved enough for Pittsburgh's pitching staff
PITTSBURGH – The last thing the Nationals have had to worry about so far this season is their offensive production. They entered tonight having scored an MLB-best 5.82 runs per game, with production from up and down the lineup. So the fact they went ice cold tonight during a 2-0 loss to the Pirates felt as surprising as any development over the last three weeks.
The Nats lineup simply couldn’t get anything going all night. Curtis Mead managed a one-out double off Pirates opener Mason Montgomery in the top of the first but was stranded on base. Jorbit Vivas and CJ Abrams each recorded a hit off bulk arm Carmen Mlodzinski, but their teammates couldn’t bring either home. Mlodzinski went six scoreless on 81 pitches before handing it over to the back of the Pittsburgh bullpen, which closed things out with little drama.
Jake Irvin ran into some familiar first-inning troubles, giving up two quick runs via a two-out rally keyed by RBI singles from Marcell Ozuna and Nick Gonzales. But the right-hander quickly figured things out and didn’t allow another run before departing at the end of the fifth. Brad Lord followed out of the bullpen and put up a trio of zeros to keep the deficit at 2-0.
HITTING LOWLIGHT: There certainly weren’t any real highlights. The Nationals never got any kind of sustained rally going, especially against Mlodzinski. The Pirates right-hander had them reaching for everything, pounding the ball into the ground or popping the ball up. James Wood drove one ball to the warning track in left, but that was as close as the Nats came to scoring in this one.
PITCHING HIGHLIGHT: Irvin’s night began in a fashion all-too-familiar to anyone who has watched him pitch the last few seasons. Despite striking out the first two batters he faced, he then failed to retire any of the next five batters, with two of them scoring. Some of the Pittsburgh rally was fluky, but Irvin did hurt himself by issuing a two-out walk and later hitting a batter. But to his credit, he rebounded nicely and wound up with a solid start overall. Though he walked two more batters, the right-hander surrendered only one more hit. And like his last start in Milwaukee, Irvin made it through the fifth without any more runs crossing the plate.
NOTABLE: With a double, a walk and two hit-by-pitches, Abrams raised his on-base percentage to .458, best in the majors.
UP NEXT: The four-game series concludes with a 12:35 p.m. Thursday matinee. Lefty Foster Griffin looks to keep his strong start to the season going, while right-hander Braxton Ashcraft pitches for the Pirates. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM
First time the offense was a disappointment. But holy moly, the Pirates pitching is elite. Never underestimate that staff. Let’s get a series split tomorrow!
Sometimes, you have to give credit to the Pirates pitching.