CJ Abrams went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, leading the Washington Nationals to a 5-4 victory over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
Brady House added two hits and an RBI for the Nationals, who won for the fourth time in five games and evened the four-game series at a win apiece. The Pirates lost for only the fourth time in the past 13 games.
Pittsburgh left seven runners on base and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The Pirates had two chances to come back late in the game but came up short.
Pittsburgh loaded the bases in the seventh with one out against Mitchell Parker. Cionel Perez took over on the mound and fell behind in the count 3-1 to Nick Yorke before the pinch hitter grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Parker (1-0) struck out five over two innings of scoreless relief.
The Pirates put two runners with one out on in the ninth, but Gus Varland struck out Oneil Cruz and induced a game-ending popup from Yorke to pick up his second save.
Pirates starter Mitch Keller (1-1) was unable to continue his stellar start to the season. He surrendered five runs on six hits and four walks while striking out three over four innings.
The Nationals scored three runs in the first inning after the first five batters reached base. House, Daylen Lile and Abrams each drove in a run with a single before the Pirates recorded the first out of the game when Lile was picked off at second.
Washington added two more on a solo home run by Abrams in the third and an RBI single by Luis Garcia Jr. in the fourth, pushing the lead to 5-1.
The Pirates cut the deficit to 5-3 in the fourth on an RBI double by Marcell Ozuna and an RBI groundout by Nick Gonzales. Ozuna had two hits after mustering only three hits in 43 at-bats entering the game. Ozuna nearly had a third hit in the eighth when he sent a ball into the left-center-field gap, but Lile made a diving catch.
PJ Poulin started the game for Washington as an opener and gave up one run in his lone inning on a Brandon Lowe solo homer.
The Nationals’ bulk reliever, Miles Mikolas, permitted three runs in 3 1/3 innings.
