Pirates Bounce Back to Down Nats 9-4, Falter Sets Career-High

PITTSBURGH — A day after being no-hit in Chicago, eight different players for the Pittsburgh Pirates had at least one hit in a 9-4 win over the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on Thursday.

Recap

The Nationals (62-78) jumped out to a 3-0 lead against Bailey Falter. Juan Yepez stroked an RBI-double to right and scored on Andrés Chaparro’s 419-foot homer to left-center.

After the first inning, Falter (7-7) settled in for the Pirates (66-74) and completed five innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits, walked two and struck out three.

A Jared Triolo RBI-single to right-center opened a five-run second inning for the Pirates. Later in the frame, Isiah-Kiner Falefa and Bryan Reynolds delivered back-to-back run-scoring base hits and Nick Gonzales drove them both with a single the other way.

Our second inning recap 👏 pic.twitter.com/h4I0JfpoRj

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 5, 2024

In the bottom of the third inning, Yasmani Grandal extended his hitting streak to eight games and added on another run for the Pirates with a single to right field. Connor Joe, who led off the inning with a double, scored from third after advancing on pitcher Jake Irvin’s throwing error on a pickoff attempt. 

Despite collecting just one hit in the sixth inning, the Pirates sent nine men to the plate and scored three runs. Triolo scored on a Keibert Ruiz passed ball before Gonzales and Rowdy Tellez drew bases-loaded walks. 

Joey Wentz made his team debut in the bottom of the ninth. After loading the bases, he hit Chaparro with the bases loaded to force in a run. Aroldis Chapman played mop-up duty and retired both batters he faced for his sixth save of the season.

Key Moment

The Nationals again threatened to do damage against Falter in the second inning, but the Pirates’ left-hander got Juan Yepez to fly out with the bases loaded and two outs. Falter kept the Pirates within striking distance and got his career-high seventh win of the season. 

Star of the Game

Gonzales delivered his third game this season with at least three RBIs. Despite only playing in 74 games, he has the fourth-most RBIs on the team with 44. 

Stat to Know

Oneil Cruz ensured the Pirates would not be no-hit for the second-straight night. His double with two outs in the first snapped a personal 0-for-16 drought. With a pinch-hit single in the sixth, Bryan De La Cruz snapped an 0-for-17 skid. 

Noteworthy

• The Pirates added the recently-claimed Joey Wentz to the active roster and designated Domingo Germán for assignment.

Up Next

Luis Ortiz (6-4, 3.19 ERA) will be on the mound for the Pirates on Friday night in the second game of the series. Rookie DJ Herz (2-7, 4.09 ERA) will start for the Nationals. First pitch: 6:40 ET.