Pirates Shutout in Loss to Nationals
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates returned to their normal form from the plate, as they lost in a shutout to the Washington Nationals, 3-0 at PNC Park.
This is the third game the Pirates have been shutout in this season and the first at home. They lost 7-0 to the Tampa Bay Rays on April 1 at George M. Steinbrenner Field and then 4-0 to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark on April 13.
It also marks the fourth loss in the past five games, as they got swept by the Cincinnati Reds and won the first game of the series vs. the Nationals, 10-3 on April 14.
Pirates right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller got the start and allowed a solo home run to Nationals left fielder James Wood to leadoff the game with a 1-0 lead, hitting a ball 445 feet that went over the center field wall.
That home run also marked Wood's sixth of the season, tied for the most in the MLB.
ANOTHER homer for James Wood! He's now tied with eight players for the Major League lead at six HR. pic.twitter.com/HqGtVFuukE
— MLB (@MLB) April 15, 2025
The Pirates struggled massively from the plate through the first four innings, with only right fielder Tommy Pham reaching safely on a single in the second inning.
Left fielder Jack Suwinski opened up the bottom of the fifth inning for the Pirates with a single and then Pham walked, putting two runners on with no one out.
Second baseman Adam Frazier would fly out to center and then shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa ended things for the Pirates by hitting into a double play.
Keller bounced back, throwing four more scoreless innings after the first. He even worked out of having two runners on in the top of the third inning and allowing two hits to start the top of the fifth inning.
He even got the first two outs of the sixth inning, before hitting Nationals third baseman Paul DeJong in the face.
Nationals medical staff immediately rushed over and treated DeJong. They stayed with him and DeJong eventually got up and walked off the field to the dugout.
Washington put in Amed Rosario as the pinch runner and at third base for the rest of the game.
Nationals center fielder Dylan Crews singled in the next at-bat, moving Rosario to third base, and eventually stole second base. Shortstop Nasim Nuñez then came through with a broken bat single, that scored both Crews and Rosario, making it 3-0 in the top of the sixth inning.
The Pirates would get two base runners the next two innings, with catcher Henry Davis making it to first base on an error in the sixth inning and Suwinski singling in the seventh inning, but they failed to take advantage of it.
Nationals right-handed starting pitcher Jake Irvin befuddled Pirates batters all night long, as he went seven innings, allowing just three hits and a walk, while posting six strikeouts.
Davis would single in with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz struck out for the third time and designated hitter Bryan Reynolds grounded into a fielder's choice.
The Pirates finished with just four hits, the second time in three games doing so.
Pittsburgh will face Washington for the third game of the series on April 16, with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.