Pirates

Pirates Preview: Bucs Have Chance for Series Win Against Nats

Published

1 month ago

April 17, 2025

The Pittsburgh Pirates came away with a 6-1 win against the Washington on Wednesday night at PNC Park.

Bailey Falter faced the minimum through 7.0 innings and earned his first win of the season. After the benches cleared in the seventh inning, Oneil Cruz belted his first-career grand slam to blow the game open.

The Pirates (7-12) will look for their second series win of the season in the finale of the four-game set on Thursday afternoon.

First pitch is set for 12:35 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and MLB Network as well as 100.1 FM & AM 1020.

Weather

Chilly in the morning but temperatures will get over 60 degrees during the game with sunshine overhead. Winds SW at 7 mph.

LHP Andrew Heaney (0-1, 3.00 ERA) Will Start for the Pirates

Heaney surrendered a grand slam to Elly De La Cruz against the Reds in his last start, but it’s been a strong start to the season for the left-hander.

Through his first three starts on the year, Heaney has limited opponents to a .188 batting average/.570 OPS with 18 strikeouts and four walks.

In his lone start at PNC Park this season, Heaney threw 7.0 innings and allowed one run with 10 strikeouts against the Yankees during the last homestand.

In five appearances/four starts against the Nationals, Heaney is 0-2 with a 5.14 ERA.

RHP Trevor Williams (1-1, 7.36 ERA) Will Start for the Nationals

Williams will get the series finale against the Pirates after spending five seasons in Pittsburgh from 2016-20.

It’s been a rocky start for the right-hander, who took the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings against the Marlins on Saturday.

Williams was limited to 13 starts last season with Washington due to a flexor muscle strain. He finished 6-1 with an impressive 2.03 ERA and held opponents to a .560 OPS.

He’s faced the Pirates four times in his career and is 2-1 with a 4.82 ERA.

Nationals Hitters vs. Heaney

Amed Rosario: 2 for 13, three strikeouts
Josh Bell: 2 for 12, two walks, four strikeouts
Alex Call: 2 for 4, one home run, three RBI
Nathaniel Lowe: 2 for 2, one double, one walk
Luis García Jr.: 1 for 2, one triple, one walk

Pirates Hitters vs. Williams

Tommy Pham: 4 for 16, two doubles, one home run, three RBI, two walks, three strikeouts
Adam Frazier: 3 for 9, one double, one strikeout
Bryan Reynolds: 2 for 8, one strikeout
Andrew McCutchen: 2 for 6, one RBI, three walks, three strikeouts
Oneil Cruz: 0 for 3, one strikeout
Ke’Bryan Hayes: 0 for 3, one strikeout

Tidbits

Bailey Falter improved to 5-0 against the Nationals, the most wins he has against any one team.
The Pirates had gone a stretch of 34 innings without a home run prior to Henry Davis’ solo shot in the fifth. Their last was an Alexander Canario home run in the fifth inning of Saturday’s game against the Reds.
The win marked the third time this season the Pirates have scored more than four runs in a nine-inning game. They scored 10 runs on Monday against the Nats and eight agaisnt the Cardinals on Apr. 7.