Pittsburgh Pirates Brutally Shut Down Nationals’ Historic Offense in a 2-0 Domination
Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. The Nationals arrived riding 99 runs across 17 games — tied for the best offensive start in franchise history. The stage was set for a heavyweight clash. The Pirates, however, had a carefully prepared plan.
Manager Don Kelly made an unconventional call — deploying left-hander Mason Montgomery as the opener specifically to neutralize Washington’s left-heavy top lineup, while keeping Mlodzinski fresh to work deeper into the game later.
Montgomery allowed a double to Curtis Mead in the 1st but escaped scoreless. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh struck fast — Ozuna and Gonzales both drove in runs with singles against Irvin, making it 2-0 after just 1 inning.
Mlodzinski entered in the 2nd inning — his first full season as a starter in his 4-year career. He hit CJ Abrams early but quickly settled in, methodical and controlled, delivering 5 strikeouts across his outing.
Washington’s only real threat came in the 5th — a single and walk put 2 on with 1 out. Mlodzinski retired James Wood on a flyout, then forced Mead into a grounder, killing the rally completely cold.
Mlodzinski finished 6 innings, allowing just 2 hits with 5 strikeouts, ERA dropping to 1.77. Santana closed the 9th for his 2nd save. Pittsburgh’s 4 pitchers combined for their 2nd shutout in under a week.
