Pirates Blank Nationals With Pitch-Perfect Plan
Photo provided by Matt Lynch PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates flawlessly executed a pitching plan with an effective first inning from Mason Montgomery followed by six-shutout innings from Carmen Mlodzinski in a 2-0 win over the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on Wednesday night. Scoring Plays Bottom 1st, 2-0 PIT: The Pirates (11-7) struck for two runs against Nats starter Jake Irvin (1-2). Marcell Ozuna plated Bryan Reynolds with a base hit to right field and Nick Gonzales legged out an infield single, which allowed Ryan O’Hearn to score from third base.
Key Moments The two Pirates’ runs in the first inning came thanks to a two-out rally. After Oneil Cruz and Brandon Lowe struck out to start things off, five straight Pirates reached. The Nationals (8-10) were never able to answer.
Player of the Game Carmen Mlodzinski (1-0) is the first Pirates reliever to pitch at least six-scoreless innings since Steve Cooke tossed seven-scoreless on Sep. 21, 1992 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
He’s also the sixth Pirates reliever in the Expansion Era (since 1961) with six-plus scoreless innings and two or fewer hits allowed and the first since Bob Johnson in 1972. Stat to Know This was only the third time the Pirates have won at home on Jackie Robinson Day, which was first celebrated in 2004. The other two instances were from 2005-06 — both against the Chicago Cubs.
Notable Performances Mason Montgomery: 1. 0 inning, one hit, no runs, one strikeout, no walks, 11 pitches/nine strikes Carmen Mlodzinski: 6. 0 innings, two hits, no runs, two walks, five strikeouts, 81 pitches/55 strikes Ryan O’Hearn: 3 for 4, one run Bryan Reynolds: 0 for 1, three walks, one run Noteworthy Although it only lasted one inning, this was Mason Montgomery’s first start of his career.