PITTSBURGH — In their first loss of the day, it was a lack of offense that served as the key issue. In loss No. 2, it was the bullpen. Ahead 4-2 after six strong innings from Mitch Keller, the Pirates’ unit of reserve arms once again failed to hold onto their team’s lead, blowing multiple advantages en route to an 8-6 loss at PNC Park.

With Keller on the mound, things were smooth for Derek Shelton’s club. After posting a rough outing his last time out, the Pirates’ ace looked strong against Washington, allowing just a pair of earned runs on seven hits while striking out eight.

Keller pitched with a lead after the first inning thanks to a pair of early runs driven home by Jared Triolo. An RBI double by Alika Williams and a sacrifice fly by Oneil Cruz further extended the Pirates’ advantage. But once Keller exited, the game took a turn.

Called upon to relieve Keller in the seventh, left-hander Ryan Borucki surrendered a two-run homer to Andres Chaparro that tied the game at four. Borucki has now allowed four earned runs in the three innings he’s pitched since returning from the injured list on September 1.

While Borucki let the lead slip away, a strong eighth frame from Dennis Santana kept the score tied, setting the table for an eighth inning rally that put Pittsburgh back ahead. Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled home the first of run in the frame, while Bryan Reynolds plated the other on a fielder’s choice.

A two-run advantage, however, was not enough.

Needing just three outs for a victory, Shelton turned to flame-throwing left-hander Aroldis Chapman to close the contest. Chapman came close to getting the job done, getting two outs against the first three batters he faced. But a two-out single from James Wood sparked a fire that could not be tamed.

Woods’ single made the score 6-5. Chapparo moved Woods, the game’s tying run, into scoring position the next at-bat with a single to right field. Both then were driven home on a pinch-hit double by Ildemaro Vargas, giving the Nationals a 7-6 lead. Chapman exited the game one at-bat later, after surrendering another double to Jose Tena that made the score 8-6. Colin Holderman finished the top half of the ninth, walking a pair of hitters before getting Juan Yepez, a pinch-hitter who led off the inning, to fly out to center.

Following a big eighth inning, the Pirates bats had no further luck in the bottom of the ninth, going down in order against Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan, who recorded his second save of the day and 36th of the season. Robert Garcia was the game’s winning pitcher, improving to 3-5. Chapman was the loser, dropping to 5-5.

Game 1

For the third time this week, Shelton’s Pirates entered the seventh inning of a game looking for their first hit.

And while a pair of knocks against the Nationals bullpen prevented embarrassment similar to what the team experienced Wednesday at Wrigley Field, their sluggish start at the plate was still too much to overcome, losing to Washington by a final score of 5-3 in the first game of a doubleheader at PNC Park.

Nationals starter DJ Herz kept the Pirates bats under control, allowing just three walks and striking out five over five hitless innings. Hertz then turned the ball over to Garcia, who preserved the no-hit effort for another five outs until Nick Gonzales spoiled the bid with a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh.

"Fastball was good,” Shelton said of Herz. “It was interesting. I don't know if we've seen a young pitcher like that vary the speeds of his fastball — 92, 94, 96, back to 92, went back up. He did a nice job at the top of the zone, and we just did not adjust to it."

Rowdy Tellez followed Gonzales’ single with a pinch-hit, two-run homer that reached the Allegheny River on a hop. The blast was his 13th of the season and came against Jacob Barnes, who replaced Garcia after Gonzales’ single. Gonzales struck again in the ninth, singling home Joey Bart to make the score 5-3. Pittsburgh had an opportunity to tie the contest later that frame, but Bryan De La Cruz bounced into a double play with the bases loaded to end the game.

Pirates starter Luis Ortiz was the game’s losing pitcher. He entered the contest having pitched 15 straight scoreless innings, but Nationals rookie Dylan Crews broke Ortiz’s streak in the top of the second with a homer to left field. The homer marked No. 3 for Crews in the big leagues.

“I was trying to execute with my fastball, but he got the best of me,” Ortiz said, with major-league coach Stephen Morales translating. “He was on it.”

Defensive blunders would help the Nationals score their next two runs of the game. The first came from Joey Bart, who let a pitch get by him at the plate, allowing Luis Garcia Jr. to score from third. Garcia would benefit from another mistake in the field two innings later, as a poor throw to second base from Oneil Cruz allowed Garcia to advance to third and eventually be brought home on a sacrifice fly by Keibert Ruiz. Tena followed Ruiz’s sacrifice fly with a single. Crews then brought Tena home in the next at-bat with a double off of the left-field wall for his second RBI of the contest.

"We didn't help [Ortiz] defensively,” Shelton said. “ ... There are some things in the game we could have done better. Because of it, he ended up giving up runs, so that's where we have to be better on our side."

Washington tallied a valuable insurance run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly from CJ Abrams against David Bednar. Herz improved to 3-7 with the win, while Ortiz dropped to 6-5 with the loss. Finnegan earned his 35th save of the season.

Up next

Sunday: Nationals at Pirates, 1:35 p.m. ET, PNC Park

Probable pitchers: LHP Patrick Corbin (5-12, 5.41) for Nationals; RHP Jared Jones (5-7, 3.91) for Pirates

Key matchup: Jones has allowed a combined eight runs in 8⅓ innings since being reinstated from the injured list on Aug. 27.

Hidden stat: Saturday marked just the second doubleheader of the Pirates’ 2024 season and the first that took place at PNC Park.

Monday: Marlins at Pirates, 6:40 p.m., PNC Park

Probable pitchers: TBA for Marlins; TBA for Pirates

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