After pending thunderstorms in the Pittsburgh area led to the scheduled Friday night game being postponed, the Pirates and the visiting Washington Nationals will play a day-night doubleheader on Saturday.
It was the first game postponed at PNC Park this season.
The only action for the teams on Friday came off the field as both made roster moves.
The Pirates activated catcher Joey Bart, 27, from the 10-day injured list. Bart, who had been out since Aug. 26 due to a strained left hamstring, has been one of Pittsburgh’s better hitters, batting .272 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs in 63 games.
Meanwhile, outfielder Billy McKinney was designated for assignment. He hit .200 for the Pirates after being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis last month.
The Nationals claimed minor league right-hander Michael Rucker off outright waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies and designated outfielder Travis Blankenhorn for assignment. Rucker, 30, has spent all of 2024 in the minors, striking out 36 batters in 26 innings.
“I didn’t see him pitch that much this year, but we felt that he still has some value,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “He does have a live fastball, up in the mid-90s. A good opportunity to see him a little bit in Triple-A and see how he does.”
Blankenhorn hit .129 in 31 at-bats with the Nationals.
Pittsburgh, which has won three of its last four games, will start right-hander Luis L. Ortiz (6-4, 3.19 ERA) in the first game, followed by right-hander Mitch Keller (11-9, 3.88). The Nationals, who have lost five of six, will start rookie left-handers DJ Herz (2-7, 4.09) and Mitchell Parker (7-9, 4.27).
After going 0-2 with a 6.45 ERA in his first four August starts, Ortiz has rebounded. He enters the Saturday matinee having pitched 15 consecutive scoreless innings.
Ortiz has faced the Nationals once, when he allowed two runs in a one-inning relief stint on April 4.
Herz, meanwhile, is looking for his first win since Aug. 3, though he has pitched well enough to win several times since. Over his past five starts, Herz is 0-3 with a 3.75 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 24 innings. Last time out, he allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings of a loss to the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 31.
He has never opposed the Pirates.
After a night off Thursday, Washington shortstop CJ Abrams, who has been struggling since July, was penciled in at the top of the lineup against Ortiz.
“For him, this is a good matchup,” Martinez said of Abrams facing the hard-throwing Ortiz. “This guy has a good fastball, so we’re going to get him up there.”
According to MASN.com, Abrams is hitting .322 against fastballs since July 7, but just .165 against breaking balls and .168 against off-speed pitches.
Washington rookie Dylan Crews, who has two hits in his past 16 at-bats, was bumped down to seventh in the batting order.
Keller struggled in his past two outings, allowing seven runs, six earned, in 9 1/3 innings. He went 5 1/3 innings Sunday in Cleveland on Sunday, giving up four runs (three earned), three home runs and a season-high 11 hits.
Keller is 1-2 with a 5.57 ERA in four career starts against the Nationals. He lost at Washington on April 3 after yielding five runs (four earned) in 5 1/3 innings.
Parker is 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA over his past four starts. Last time out, he allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits in six innings of a Sunday loss to the Cubs. He has never faced the Pirates.
–Field Level Media
