Carmen Mlodzinski pitched six shutout innings and led the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 2-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.
Marcell Ozuna and Nick Gonzales each had RBI singles in the first inning to give Pittsburgh’s pitchers all the run support they would need. Mlodzinski (1-0) struck out five, walked two, and gave up only two hits during his outing, which lasted 81 pitches. He entered the game following a scoreless first inning by Mason Montgomery as the Pirates’ opener.
Montgomery, Mlodzinski, Gregory Soto, and Dennis Santana combined for a three-hit shutout. Santana hit CJ Abrams with a pitch with one out in the ninth. However, Nasim Nunez and Drew Millas each flew out, as Santana picked up his second save.
The Pirates won for the 10th time in their past 14 games and recorded their second shutout of the season in a span of six days. Meanwhile, the Nationals picked up their second loss in three games and their first shutout loss this season.
Ozuna and Gonzales’s hits delivered the only runs allowed by Nationals starter Jake Irvin (1-2), who gave up four hits, walked three, and struck out five.
Ozuna continued to show potential signs of breaking out of an early-season slump, as he recorded a hit in his third consecutive game. He has four hits in his past 12 at-bats, after going 2-for-39 over his first 10 games.
Pittsburgh’s first inning rally started with two outs after Bryan Reynolds drew the first of three walks, and Ryan O’Hearn singled for the first of his team-high three hits. Reynolds extended his on-base streak to 14 consecutive games.
The Nationals left seven runners on base and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
Curtis Mead had a one-out double in the first inning off Montgomery. Nevertheless, Daylen Lile grounded out, and Brady House struck out to end the frame.
CJ Abrams continued his strong start to the season with a two-out double in the sixth. But Mlodzinski struck out Joey Wiemer to end the inning.
