They've won all five games.
With their 8-4 win over Washington at Nationals Park on Monday, the Pittsburgh Pirates have started the season 5-0 for the first time in 41 years and only the sixth time in franchise history.
The Pirates' strong offense throughout the lineup helped them win against the Nationals, with the team going 15 of 40 (.375) overall and 7 for 21 (.333) with runners in scoring position.
Outfielder Michael A. Taylor commented on the SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame show that the team currently has a good mix of everything, putting together quality at-bats and grinding.
Taylor had a strong performance, achieving 3 hits out of 4 at-bats with a run batted in (RBI), and currently has a batting average of .471 for the year.
Taylor, who signed a one-year contract with the Pirates during spring training, was drafted by the Nationals in 2009 and spent the first seven years of his MLB career from 2014-20 in Washington, where he won a World Series in 2019.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Pirates seemed to be in trouble, but they quickly regained the lead with a three-run eighth inning after a two-run homer by the Nationals tied the game.
The Pirates wasted no time in taking back the lead, scoring three runs in the eighth inning.
Taylor initiated the scoring, reaching base with a bunt single and then advancing to second base thanks to a sacrifice bunt by Alika Williams. Taylor then scored on Connor Joe’s double to left field, securing the winning run.
Joe, who has been batting first in every game this season, achieved 2 hits out of 4 at-bats with two RBIs.
Ke’Bryan Hayes and Andrew McCutchen also contributed RBIs in the eighth inning, resulting in a 6-3 lead for the Pirates.
The Pirates added two more runs in the ninth inning with a two-run double by Bryan Reynolds, bringing in Taylor and Williams, both of whom had singled.
Pirates pitcher Marco Gonzales commented, “We're having challenging at-bats. Our players just don't give in. You really can't easily defeat us. That shows a lot about our character.”
Gonzales, who made his first start of the season, pitched for five innings, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts, resulting in a no-decision.
Manager Derek Shelton mentioned, “He was effective, he was efficient … but overall, it was really important for him to be able to go out there and execute. He did a nice job.”
The Pirates took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning when Taylor’s sacrifice fly allowed Henry Davis, who had doubled, to score.
Then Reynolds brought in Oneil Cruz with an RBI groundout. Cruz had singled and was moved into scoring position when Williams singled, and Joe was hit by Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore.
The Nationals scored one run off Gonzales in the third inning, but Joe extended the Pirates' lead to 3-1 in the sixth inning by hitting a single that brought home Davis, who had hit his second double of the day.
Pitcher Roansy Contreras did well in the bottom of the sixth, getting all three outs and leaving two runners stranded after Gonzales was taken out.
Unfortunately, Contreras faced difficulty in the seventh when Adams hit a game-tying homer, erasing the Pirates' 3-1 lead.
Contreras ended up getting the win but missed a save opportunity.
Ryder Ryan pitched a clean inning in the eighth, but he allowed a single, walk, and run in the bottom of the ninth, prompting manager Derek Shelton to insert Aroldis Chapman with two outs.
Chapman got his initial save with the Pirates when he made Lane Thomas fly out to conclude the game.
Five games, five victories.
