Gameday 5: Pirates head to DC to face Nationals after sweep in Miami

The Pirates look to keep the momentum going in Washington

Apr 01, 2024

After a four-game sweep of the Miami Marlins, the Pittsburgh Pirates will head to Washington, DC, for a series against the Nationals.

The Pirates needed two come-from-behind, extra-inning victories to complete the sweep, but the bullpen was near flawless the whole weekend.

Jared Jones was the highlight of the weekend. He struck out 10 over 5.2 innings pitched in his major league debut and earned the win.

Marco Gonzales will make his Pirates debut against the Nationals, who will face fellow lefty MacKenzie Gore. It will be the fifth straight left-handed pitcher the Pirates will face to begin the season.

Mitch Keller and Martin Perez will follow Gonzales, with the Pirates’ first off day sandwiched in on Tuesday.

Pirates Lineup

1B - Connor Joe

LF - Bryan Reynolds

3B - Ke’Bryan Hayes

DH - Andrew McCutchen

RF - Edward Olivares

C - Henry Davis

SS - Oneil Cruz

CF - Michael A. Taylor

2B - Alika Williams

Nationals Lineup

SS - CJ Abrams

RF - Lane Thomas

1B - Joey Meneses

DH - Keibert Ruiz

LF - Jesse Winker

3B - Trey Lipscomb

2B - Ildemaro Vargas

C - Riley Adams

CF - Victor Robles

Pitching Matchup (2023 statistics)

Marco Gonzales: 4-1, 5.22 ERA, 50 IP, 4.83 xFIP, 15.8 K%, 8.4 BB%

MacKenzie Gore: 7-10, 4.22 ERA, 136.1 IP, 4.11 xFIP, 25.9 K%, 9.8 BB%

Yesterday’s Feature

It was Easter Sunday, so there was no new feature, so we go back to Saturday with Ryan Palencer’s feature on Jared Jones after talking to Indianapolis Indians pitching coach Drew Benes.

Bucs On Deck

Jared Jones uses aggressive mindset to advantage

Clearly, a lot has been made of Jared Jones forcing the hand to make the Pirates starting rotation out of Spring Training. For Indianapolis pitching coach Drew Benes, personal development, growth, and maturation have created this opportunity for Jones…

8 months ago · 6 likes · 10 comments · Ryan Palencer

Today’s Feature

We bring back our ‘10 observations’ feature with a look back at the first weekend of baseball between the majors and Triple-A, with pitching an obvious focus.

Bucs On Deck

10 Observations: Pitchers dominate opening weekend in Pirates' system

Welcome back to our weekly feature, ‘10 Observations,’ where we reflect back on some of what we watched over the past week of watching the Pirates’ system. Just the Pirates and Triple-A Indianapolis were active this past week, but the rest of the full season teams join the mix this weekend…

8 months ago · 5 likes · 10 comments · Anthony Murphy

Premium Feature

Brandan Bidois is looked at as a potential sleeper prospect in the Pirates system by some, and during the season last year, I took a look at a key to his success. You can sign up for a seven-day free trial, with monthly and yearly options for subscriptions available.

Bucs On Deck

Fastball Movement Key To Brandan Bidois Success In Bradenton

As more information is continually available for minor league players, it’s been exciting an opportunity to dig in and try to find prospects that are generally overlooked at first glance. I’ve written about a couple of Bradenton relievers this year, and both of them were eventually promoted to Greensboro…

a year ago · 9 likes · 26 comments · Anthony Murphy

There will be a breakdown of Paul Skenes’ first Triple-A start later this week as well, so sign up now!