Takeaways from Pirates Series Win over Nationals

After an opening series sweep over the Marlins, the Pirates continued their winning ways with a series win over the Washington Nationals. The Pirates record on the season sits at 6-1 after winning two out of three against the Nationals. Let’s take a look at what went well for Pittsburgh in the latest series in Washington.

Best Hitter

The Pirates offense was solid in D.C. as they scored 18 runs in the three game series. Michael A. Taylor was the best overall hitter for the Pirates as he continued to stay hot. In this series, Taylor went 7/12 with a double and three runs batted in. On the season, he has a .480 batting average with two doubles and six runs batted in. He also has an OPS of 1.083, which includes an on-base percentage of .483 and a slugging percentage of .600.

Best Starting Pitcher

In the games the Pirates won, the pitching was excellent with Marco Gonzales and Martin Perez. Mitch Keller struggled in his start, causing the loss in game two. Perez was the best starter this series for the Pirates as he had a great start in game three. Perez earned the win after going 6.2 innings with six strikeouts and allowed six hits, two walks, and two earned runs. On the season, he has a 2.45 earned run average with eight strikeouts in 11 innings pitched.

Best Relievers

The Pirates bullpen went through its ups and downs in this series, but two pitchers had great appearances. Josh Fleming did great in his outing as he threw 1.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and allowed just one hit. Ryder Ryan also had a great outing as he threw 1.2 innings with three strikeouts and allowed two hits and one earned run. Both have been solid so far this season and have been important pieces to this bullpen.

Next series will be against the Baltimore Orioles for the Pirates home opener. Blackout theme for Jared Jones who makes his second career start. Bailey Falter and Marco Gonzales will start in games two and three.