The Washington Nationals will look to rebound from last night’s brutal loss in game two of this four game set this evening. After a long, laborious night for the bullpen, Miles Mikolas will look to eat innings to prevent overuse two nights in a row.

The Nationals jumped out early behind a first-inning homer from CJ Abrams, but the offense never found a sustained rhythm against Paul Skenes and the Pirates’ staff. Washington managed just one hit off Skenes across six innings, with most of their production coming late after the game had already gotten out of hand. A two-run seventh inning, highlighted by Jacob Young’s homer and a two-RBI single from Nasim Nuñez, showed life, but overall the lineup struggled to bring their consistent pressure.

On the other end, things unraveled quickly on the mound. Cade Cavalli lasted just 1.1 innings, allowing four runs and walking three, putting Washington in an early hole they never recovered from. The bullpen couldn’t stop the bleeding, most notably during a disastrous sixth inning in which Pittsburgh erupted for 10 runs, breaking the game wide open. In total, Nationals pitching allowed 16 runs on as many hits, with multiple relievers unable to quiet a Pirates lineup that capitalized on traffic and delivered several extra-base hits in big spots.

On Deck…

It will be Jake Irvin taking the hill for the Nationals on Wednesday, as the righty looks to get back on track against the Pirates, who have yet to announce their starter for that 6:40 P.M. game.

In the hole…

Foster Griffin will pitch the series finale for Washington on Thursday afternoon, as that 12:35 P.M. matchup will send the team back to D.C. for their weekend set with San Francisco.