James Wood’s leadoff homer, Jake Irvin’s seven scoreless innings lift Nationals over Pirates 3-0
PITTSBURGH (AP) — James Wood led off the game with a home run and Jake Irvin pitched seven scoreless innings to lead the Washington Nationals to a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.
Irvin (1-0) allowed three hits, struck out six and walked one as the Nationals snapped a three-game losing streak. The Pirates never got a runner past second base in losing for the fourth time in five games.
Jose A. Ferrer and Kyle Finnegan pitched one inning each to finish the four-hitter. Finnegan notched his sixth save in as many opportunities.
The shutout came a night after the Pirates recorded a season high in runs scored while beating the Nationals 10-3.
Mitch Keller (1-2) gave up three runs and six hits in six innings while striking out three and walking two.
Wood hit a drive to the concourse in right-center field on Keller’s sixth pitch of the game to give the Nationals a quick lead with his sixth homer of the season. The score remained 1-0 until the sixth when Nasim Nunez hit a two-run single with two outs.
Paul DeJong was hit in the face by a pitch from Keller with two outs and the bases empty in the sixth. DeJong underwent a CT scan and the Nationals were awaiting the results.
Nunez and Nathaniel Lowe had two hits each for the Nationals.
Jack Suwinski had two hits for the Pirates and made a fine running catch on the left-field warning track.
Key moment
The Pirates had runners on first and second while trailing 1-0 in the fifth, but Irvin got Isiah Kiner-Falefa to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Key stat
Wood hit the first leadoff home run in his 96-game career.
Up next
Mitchell Parker (2-0, 1.96 ERA) will start for the Nationals against Bailey Falter (0-2, 7.20) on Wednesday night in a matchup of left-handers in the third game of the four-game series.
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