PITTSBURGH — Whether it’s the result of a shortened spring training or some unusually brisk temperatures for this time of year, the Pirates have made a habit out of slow starts and playing from behind during the first nine games of this season.
Including Sunday’s series finale against the Nationals, Pittsburgh has scored the first run just once, meaning its first four victories have arrived in come-from-behind fashion.
It took some effort — and a few Washington mistakes — but the Pirates notched another win while initially trailing to take three of four in this series and surge over .500 (5-4) on the year with a 5-3 victory against the Nationals at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh mustered just two hits through the first five innings, as manager Derek Shelton went with an extreme Sunday lineup that featured neither Bryan Reynolds nor Ke’Bryan Hayes. However, Shelton’s group plated five runs in the sixth and seventh to hop in front on Easter, and the bullpen refused to lay an egg.
The Pirates’ first rally included a pair of runs, although it could have been more had Jake Marisnick not been picked off first base.
After tallying three hits Saturday, Michael Chavis singled and scored when Diego Castillo beat out a potential an inning-ending double play. Ben Gamel, who like Chavis contributed pair of hits, brought the Pirates to within one at 3-2 with his opposite-field single to left.
In the seventh, Cole Tucker and Josh VanMeter singled to start. Marisnick bunted them over. Nationals manager Davey Martinez intentionally walked Daniel Vogelbach. With the bases loaded, Tucker scored on a wild pitch from Steve Cishek.
That’s when Chavis struck again. He hit a ball past a diving Alcides Escobar at shortstop to give the Pirates a 4-3 lead, and they stretched it to 5-3 when Yoshi Tsutsugo booked it down the line and beat out another double play.
Sunday also featured more terrific work from the Pirates bullpen. Wil Crowe, Heath Hembree and David Bednar combined to work the final five innings.
Crowe has now tossed 9 2/3 innings this season as a reliever, allowing three singles with four walks and 10 strikeouts. The new reliever took over for Jose Quintana, induced a double play and barreled through the heart of Washington’s order in the seventh.
Hembree took over and gave up a double to third baseman Maikel Franco, but the Pirates defense — which shined again — bailed out Hembree. Gamel, Castillo and Roberto Perez combined on a stellar relay to nail Josh Bell trying to score.
Sunday initially looked like it might be a continuation of Quintana’s Pirates debut on Tuesday for the home opener when he breezed through the first inning on just 11 pitches. However, the Nationals got to Quintana in the second inning and strung together three consecutive singles.
Catcher Riley Adams went down and got a 1-1 curveball and drove a run-scoring single to left to give Washington a 1-0 lead. Center fielder Victor Robles, who had opened the season in an 0-for-18 funk, connected on a poorly executed, 3-1 sinker from Quintana, scoring two more.
The Pirates enjoyed a terrific, diving play Chavis at third base that prevented more damage, and Quintana struck out right fielder Juan Soto looking to end the inning. Quintana went four-plus and allowed three earned runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
As well as the Pirates finished this one, they couldn’t get much going early on. Franco made two errors on the same play in the second following a Tsutsugo single. But Perez promptly hit into an inning-ending double play.
Franco redeemed himself with a diving grab to get Castillo in the fourth before the Pirates finally broke through in the sixth.
