Nationals even series against Pirates with 5-4 victory

(Pittsburgh, PA) A 15-minute rain delay set the tone for a tense night, but by the final out, the skies and the scoreboard belonged to Washington.

The Nationals’ offense immediately rebounded from a rough performance against Paul Skenes on Monday, once again looking like the team that currently ranks in the top five in runs scored (99), batting average (.272) and home runs (20), after a three-run first inning against Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller. Keller found himself in a jam immediately after walking the first two hitters he faced, before allowing three consecutive RBI singles to designated hitter Brady House, left fielder Daylen Lile and shortstop CJ Abrams.

Abrams kept the momentum going in the third with a 102-MPH, 389-foot blast to right field — his second in two days. Across his last five games, Abrams is 9 for 16 with four extra-base hits and five RBIs. After his recent hot streak, Abrams ranks fifth in MLB in batting average (.356), second in RBIs (19), third in home runs (6) and fourth in OPS (1.121).

“My first at bat, I got a fastball, and just stayed through the middle,” Abrams said. “Kept the same approach second [at bat], and got a slider I could pull.”

Nationals manager Blake Butera thinks Abrams’ feeling loose has played an integral role in his 2026 success.

“I think the biggest thing is … making sure CJ is comfortable up there,” Butera said. “When he has a clear mind of how he’s going to [perform], how he’s going to be pitched … and just let CJ be CJ, he’s really fun to watch.”

The scoring continued in the fifth, when third baseman Jorbit Vivas and right fielder James Wood strung together a single and a walk before being brought in on an RBI single from first baseman Luis Garcia.

It’s no secret that the Nationals’ bullpen has been one of their biggest issues in 2026 — the relief corps ranks last in MLB in earned run average, and has surrendered the most home runs of any MLB bullpen.

However, that changed on Tuesday night. After opener PJ Poilin and Miles Mikolas — a mainstay in this Nationals rotation thus far in 2026 combined to allow four runs through the game’s first 4.1 innings, Nationals relievers combined for 4.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts, allowing just three hits. Former starting rotation member Mitchell Parker — who was in his first game with the team since being recalled from AAA Rochester — was the biggest standout, striking out five Pittsburgh hitters over two scoreless innings.

“I think [Parker]’s stuff looked really good tonight,” Butera said. “His fastball velocity was up to 95, and he attacked guys. That was fun to watch.”

Parker was relieved by Cionel Perez, who induced an inning-ending double play on the first batter he faced, before trotting back out there for the eighth inning, snagging a 103-MPH line drive right back at him. Clayton Beeter then finished the inning, retiring the only two batters he faced on the night, before giving way to Gus Varland, who sealed the deal in the ninth, earning his second career save.

“I couldn’t be happier with every guy coming out of the bullpen,” Butera said. “Whatever inning, whatever situation … they came out of the bullpen ready to roll.”

The series will continue tomorrow as Jake Irvin takes the mound for Washington, looking to give them the series lead. Pittsburgh has yet to announce its starting pitcher, though if it were to continue with its past pitching rotation, Carmen Mlodzinski would get the call.