Pirates Obliterate Nationals in Support of Paul Skenes
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates gave right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes some support from the plate and then some against the Washington Nationals.
The Pirates scored 16 runs in the 16-5 victory in the series opener over the Nationals at PNC Park, marking their highest-total of runs scored in 2026.
Pittsburgh last scored 16 runs back on Aug. 1, 2025 in the 17-16 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors FIeld, and last scored 16 runs in in a win on April 29, 2023 in a 16-1 victory over the Nationals in the second game of a doubleheader at Nationals Park.
It also improved the Pirates to 10-6 overall and on top of the National League Central Division, 5-2 at home and 9-3 in their past 12 games
Pirates Score Early to Build Lead
The Pirates almost got themselves their first run in the bottom of the first inning, as second baseman Brandon Lowe reached first base on an error and Nationals right-handed starting pitcher Cade Cavalli hit designated hitter Bryan Reynolds with a pitch with one out, but right fielder Ryan O'Hearn and third baseman Nick Yorke both struck out.
Pittsburgh then loaded the bases in the bottom of the second inning, as shortstop Konnor Griffin walked, left fielder Jake Mangum singled and catcher Henry Davis walked.
Center fielder Oneil Cruz walked with the bases loaded and tied the game up at 1-1, Lowe hit a blooper that ended up scoring both Mangum and Davis to give the Pirates a 3-1 lead and Reynolds also singled, scoring Cruz to make it 4-1.
The Pirates ended Cavalli's night after just 1.1 innings pitched, forcing the Nationals to go to their bullpen early and often.
First baseman Spencer Horwitz added on to the Pirates' lead in the bottom of the third inning, leading off with a solo home run, as he sent a cutter on the inside-top part of the strike zone 376 feet into the right field seats.
HORWITZ HOMER! pic.twitter.com/YfdLWxTAst
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 13, 2026
That marked the first home run for Horwitz this season and his first since Sept. 26, 2025 against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.
Pirates Drop Score Double-Digit Runs in Sixth Inning
Pittsburgh kept adding on, as they loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning and Reynolds hit a bases-clearing triple, making it an 8-1 lead.
O'Hearn then almost hit a home run, which bounced off the center field wall and scored Reynolds to increas the Pirates' advantage to 9-1.
Horwitz and Griffin hit back-to-back singles after a Yorke ground out, scoring O'Hearn, then Mangum walked to load the base and Davis popped out.
Cruz then almost hit a home run himself, hitting a ball 114.1 mph off the right field wall, scoring Horwitz and Griffin to make it a 12-1 Pirates lead.
Lowe then finally came through for the Pirates with some power, crushing a ball over the plate and sending it 410 feet into the right field seats for a three-run home run, giving the home team a 15-1 lead.
🎶 WAY UP, WAY UP, WE GO 🎶 pic.twitter.com/61qogZcIic
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 14, 2026
The Pirates also added a run in the ninth inning off of Nationals position player Joey Wiemer, who came in to throw with his team trailing by more than 10 runs, which allows a position player to take the mound.
Paul Skenes Has Great Start Vs. Nationals
Normally Skenes throwing six innings of one-run baseball would be the talking point of any Pirates game, but with their offensive output overall, particularly in the sixth inning, it amazingly wasn't as big of a deal as normal.
Skenes still did his thing, with only one run allowed over those six innings and 87 pitches, but also just one hit and one walk allowed as well, with six strikeouts in the win.
He gave up a solo home run to shortstop CJ Abrams in the top of the first inning and walked right fielder James Wood in the top of the third inning, but was essentially perfect outside of that.
Skenes, surprisingly, went mostly with his changeup in the win over the Nationals, throwing it 36% of the time, while using his four-seam fastball second-most at 32% and the sweeper the third-most at 19%.
Pitch | Usage | Average Velocity |
|---|---|---|
Changeup | 32/88 (36%) | 88.8 mph |
Four-Seam Fastball | 28/88 (32%) | 97.6 mph |
Sweeper | 17/88 (19%) | 83.2 mph |
Curveball | 6/88 (5%) | 82.0 mph |
Sinker | 3/88 (3%) | 96.0 mph |
Splitter | 3/88 (3%) | 94.3 mph |
The Pirates then brought in right-handed pitcher José Urquidy for the seventh inning, who struggled, giving up six hits and four earned runs.
Left-handed pitcher Evan Sisk made his Pirates debut after they recalled him from Triple-A Indianapolis and threw two scoreless innings to ensure his team got the victory.
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.