Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals Picks and Predictions September 5th 2024

At 6:40 PM ET, two NL teams face off, as the Nationals are on the road to take on the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The money line odds have the Pirates at -120 compared to the Nationals at +102. The over/under line is sitting at 8.5 runs.

Thursday’s forecast in Pittsburgh calls for clear skies and temperatures in the low 80s. Jake Irvin is starting for the Nationals, and he is facing off against Bailey Falter for the Pirates. Washington is 62-77, while the Pirates are 65-74. MASN will be televising this matchup.

Jake Irvin gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Pirates on the road. So far this season, he has made 28 starts and has a record of 9-11. Irvin’s ERA is 4.08, along with a WHIP of 1.19. In his 28 starts, he has turned in 14 quality starts and is averaging 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking back at his last outing, Irvin took the loss, giving up six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had gone three straight outings without taking the loss. His ERA on the road is 3.85 compared to 5.37 at home.

Washington’s offense has been one of the most inconsistent in the league this season, as they are just 21st in runs per game at 4.2. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and isolated power. However, they are batting .244 as a team, which is 11th in the MLB. Heading into today’s game, the Nationals have four players who are on a three-game hitting streak.

Luis Garcia Jr. comes into the game with a team-high 63 RBIs and is 2nd on the team with 15 homers. He is also batting .290 for the season. CJ Abrams has gone deep 18 times this season but is batting just .240. Washington will be looking for better production out of Andres Chaparro and Dylan Crews, as both players have gone deep just once in their last five games, while batting .167 and .136, respectively.

Pittsburgh is starting left-hander Bailey Falter today vs. the Nationals. He has made 23 starts this season and finished with a no-decision in each of his last three outings. In his most recent start, Falter gave up four earned runs in four innings of work vs. the Guardians. Looking back, he has allowed at least two homers in three of his last four starts. Falter’s ERA for the season is 4.41, along with a record of 6-7. Opponents are batting .260 off the left-hander this season.

As a team, the Pirates are averaging just 4.2 runs per game, which is 23rd in the league. They have been even worse in terms of power, as their 137 home runs is 20th in the league. Pittsburgh’s team batting average of .235 is just 16th in the league, and they are also near the bottom of the league in terms of strikeouts and on-base percentage.

Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ best hitter this season, batting .280 with a team-high 22 home runs and 77 RBIs. In his last seven games, he has gone 8/27 with two homers. Andrew McCutchen has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 4/15 with two homers in his last four games. Yasmani Grandal comes into the game on a seven-game hitting streak.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are gearing up to host the Washington Nationals in a four-game series, starting Thursday. After a tough 12-0 no-hit loss to the Chicago Cubs, the Pirates will be eager to turn the page in front of their home crowd. Both teams, deep in the rebuilding process, are aiming to end the season on a high note, with key players and development in the spotlight.

Pirates Coming Off No-Hitter Loss

The Pirates (65-74) were left stunned on Wednesday when Chicago’s Shota Imanaga and two relievers combined to no-hit Pittsburgh, delivering a 12-0 blowout. It marked the first time in four years that the Pirates had been no-hit. Shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa acknowledged the disappointing loss but remained positive about the team’s ability to bounce back.

Now back in Pittsburgh for their longest homestand of the season—a 10-game stretch—the Pirates will start things off with four games against the Nationals (62-77). Despite their position in the National League Central, Kiner-Falefa stressed the importance of staying competitive as the season winds down.

Nationals Struggling with RISP

The Washington Nationals have also been struggling lately, losing four of their last five games. In their most recent outing, the Nationals fell 4-3 in 10 innings to the Miami Marlins, going just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position (RISP).

Manager Davey Martinez was vocal about the team’s need to improve plate discipline. “We just can’t chase bad pitches… when we do that, we take ourselves out of at-bats, especially with guys on base.”

Despite the struggles, rookie center fielder Jacob Young has been a bright spot for the Nationals. He has reached base safely in 12 of his last 13 games, making him one of the few consistent contributors as the Nationals work to build for the future.

Pitching Matchup: Jake Irvin vs. Bailey Falter

The series opener on Thursday will feature Jake Irvin (9-11, 4.08 ERA) on the mound for the Nationals. Irvin will be looking to recover from a rough outing last Friday against the Cubs, where he gave up seven runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Reflecting on his performance, Irvin acknowledged his mistakes, particularly with two-strike pitches, which allowed the Cubs to capitalize.

Irvin will be facing the Pirates for the first time in his career, offering him a fresh opportunity to get back on track.

For the Pirates, lefty Bailey Falter (6-7, 4.41 ERA) will take the mound. Falter had a short and rocky start against the Cleveland Guardians in his last outing, giving up four runs over four innings before being pulled after just 59 pitches. However, Falter has historically dominated the Nationals, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.22 ERA in seven career appearances (four starts) against them. Pittsburgh will be hoping Falter can regain that form and lead them to a series-opening win.

Pirates Monitoring Andrew McCutchen’s Knee

One of the big storylines for Pittsburgh is the status of veteran Andrew McCutchen, who was scratched from Wednesday’s game due to knee soreness. McCutchen, 37, has been on a hot streak, with an RBI in each of his last five games. In his last nine contests, he has hit five home runs and driven in 15 runs.

Manager Derek Shelton explained that McCutchen’s absence was a precaution, given his recent knee issues and his age.

McCutchen had just returned from a 12-game stint on the injured list due to left knee inflammation. The Pirates will likely continue to manage his playing time carefully as they look to finish the season on a high note.

Both Teams Looking to Finish Strong

As the Pirates and Nationals face off in this four-game series, both teams are focused on finishing the season with a positive outlook. The Pirates, still reeling from their no-hit loss, will look to reignite their offense and bounce back with the support of their home crowd. Meanwhile, the Nationals are hoping to improve their execution with runners in scoring position and get a solid outing from Jake Irvin.

With Bailey Falter looking to continue his success against Washington and Jake Irvin aiming to rebound from a tough start, the series opener offers both teams a chance to reset and build momentum for the final weeks of the season.

Our lean for an over/under pick is to take the over, as we have this as the 2nd lowest projected scoring game of the day. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have our lean on the Nationals to pick up the win. Offensively, the Nationals are our 4th lowest projected run-scoring team, but between the two starters, we have Jake Irvin finishing with more strikeouts than Bailey Falter for the Pirates.