Washington seized control in the first inning and never relinquished it, defeating Pittsburgh 5-4 at PNC Park. The Nationals scored three times before the Pirates recorded an out, building an early cushion that proved decisive despite a spirited home team rally.
Cal Abrams led the Washington attack with three hits, including a home run and two RBIs. The outfielder went 3-for-4 on the night, extending his strong start to the season with a .356 average, six home runs and 19 RBIs through 16 games.
The game's character was established immediately. House singled to center, scoring Wood to open the scoring. Lile followed with another single to center, bringing García Jr. home to make it 2-0. Abrams then delivered the third run with his own single to center, scoring House and giving Washington a commanding 3-0 lead before Pittsburgh came to bat.
Pittsburgh responded with power. Brandon Lowe homered to right center in the bottom of the first, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The Pirates continued chipping away, with Ozuna's double in the fourth scoring Lowe and Gonzales driving in Reynolds with a groundout to make it 3-3. Joey Bart's solo homer in the fifth brought Pittsburgh within one run at 4-5, but they could not complete the comeback.
The victory snapped a losing streak for Washington, improving their record to 7-9. Pittsburgh, despite the loss, maintained first place in their division at 10-6.