9-5-24 – By Ethan Smith
Well, the Pittsburgh Pirates managed to defeat the Chicago Cubs for the series win over the past three days, but the last game will be the story after the Pirates were combined no-hit by Chicago, headlined by Shota Imanaga.
Now, they turn their sights to their longest remaining home stand of the 2024 season, a season of plenty of ups and downs, and the home stand begins when the Pirates face off with the Washington Nationals.
These two teams are separated by three games in the standings, with that speaking more on the Pirates collapse than on Washington’s play and expectations, and although we won’t see a matchup between the two in this series, it is nice that this time around, the top two selections from the 2023 MLB Draft are on the roster for both teams in Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews.
The Pirates won the series earlier this season in Washington, continuing their hot road start in March and April. Now, the Pirates and Nationals are out of playoff contention and both are trying to answer questions heading into 2025, so let’s take a look at the four-game set the Pirates have ahead of them.
9/5
Nationals – Jake Irvin (R) – 9-11, 161.0 IP, 4.08 ERA, 136 Ks/40 walks, 1.19 WHIP
Pirates – Bailey Falter (L) – 6-7, 116.1 IP, 4.41 ERA, 81 Ks/34 walks, 1.29 WHIP
9/6
Nationals – DJ Herz (L) – 2-7, 70.1 IP, 4.09 ERA, 88 Ks/26 walks, 1.27 WHIP
Pirates – Luis Ortiz (R) – 6-4, 113.0 IP, 3.19 ERA, 88 Ks/35 walks, 1.10 WHIP
9/7
Nationals – Mitchell Parker (L) – 7-9, 132.2 IP, 4.27 ERA, 117 Ks/35 walks, 1.27 WHIP
Pirates – Mitch Keller (R) – 11-9, 157.2 IP, 3.88 ERA, 145 Ks/42 walks, 1.27 WHIP
9/8
Nationals – Patrick Corbin (L) – 5-12, 153.0 IP, 5.41 ERA, 121 Ks/51 walks, 1.52 WHIP
Pirates – Jared Jones (R) – 5-7, 101.1 IP, 3.91 ERA, 106 Ks/31 walks, 1.14 WHIP
Nationals: OF Jacob Young
Jacob Young has had a strong run as of late, slugging .510 over his last 15 games with one home run and seven RBIs.
Expand that to his last 30, and his play continues to look and be impressive, as he’s batting over .300 with six walks and five stolen bases, so he’s found a knack to get on base and wreck havoc as of late.
Young is coming off of a four hit series versus Miami, so he’s a player to watch in the Nats lineup that could continue to light the furnace in this four-game set.
Pirates: OF Bryan Reynolds
Bryan Reynolds has cooled off a bit since the calendar turned to August, but he’s still been impressive, hitting .296 with two home runs and five RBIs over the past seven days.
Although the home runs have taken a slight hit, Reynolds still has a .448 slugging over the past 15 days and continues to be one of, if not the biggest, offensive threat the Pirates possess in the lineup.
Watch for Reynolds to have a potentially big series here versus Washington.
Nationals: C Keibert Ruiz
Keiburt Ruiz has been a long-standing part of the core the Nats have been trying to build, but this season, and recently, he just hasn’t hit all that well.
Ruiz is batting .200 over the past 15 days and .154 over the past seven, hitting just two home runs in his last 55 at-bats. His .619 OPS on the season is well below his career OPS of .680, so there is a ton left to be desired about what Washington has seen from their starting catcher.
Ruiz, like Young, had a four hit series versus Miami, so we’ll see if he can get a hot streak going versus Pittsburgh.
Pirates: SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Isiah Kiner-Falefa became quite the household name since his arrival to Pittsburgh thanks to off-field comments about 2025, good ones mind you, and his play this season, but that play hasn’t been great lately.
IKF has a .186 batting average over the past 15 days and 11 strikeouts in his last 59 plate appearances, so he’s slowed down since his impressive pre-All Star campaign.
He had two hits versus the Cubs in that three-game series, and with IKF manning the leadoff spot more often than not, the Pirates hope he can turn it around before the season ends.
Key Injuries
For Washington, starters Trevor Williams and Cade Cavalli, both on the 60-day IL, have thrown the past two days in a bullpen and live session. Reliever Joan Adon and right fielder Alex Call were placed on the 15-day IL in late August, while Josiah Gray underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this season.
For Pittsburgh, Andrew McCutchen is “day-to-day” with a knee flare up. Joey Bart ran the bases in Chicago as he looks to return from the 10-day IL soon. Ke’Bryan Hayes is still being evaluated, while reliever Ben Heller and minor league starter Braxton Ashcraft were placed on the IL recently.
Things to Look For
For both of these teams, ending the season is about a big as how 2025 goes.
For Pittsburgh specifically, coming off the wrong side of a combined no-hitter, they have to come out of the gates firing versus a Washington team they should handle, and a winning home stand, a 10 gamer, would at the least give fans something to cheer for down the stretch after a sour second half.
If the bullpen, like it did in two games versus Chicago, can blank the Nationals late in games, then I like the Pirates chances to win this one, but with how sporadic the team has been lately, anything can happen in this four-game set.
Steel City Pirates 