Offense keeps rolling as Pirates beat Nationals, move to 5-0 for 1st time since 1983

Five games, five wins.

After Monday’s 8-4 victory over Washington at Nationals Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates have begun the season 5-0 for the first time in 41 years and only the sixth time in franchise history.

Potent offense throughout the lineup powered the Pirates over the Nationals in the first of a three-game series, with the team going 15 of 40 (.375) overall and 7 for 21 (.333) with runners in scoring position.

“We’ve got a good mix of everything right now,” outfielder Michael A. Taylor said on the SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame show. “We’re putting together quality at-bats, and the guys are going up there and grinding.”

Taylor went 3 for 4 with an RBI and is batting .471 on the year.

Taylor, who inked a one-year deal 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, winning a World Series in 2019.

The Pirates looked to be in trouble in the bottom of the seventh when Roansy Contreras, who relieved starter Marco Gonzales, allowed a two-run, game-tying homer to Riley Adams, erasing a 3-1 lead.

But the Pirates wasted zero time seizing back the advantage, putting together a three-run eighth.

Taylor got things going, reaching on a bunt single, with Alika Williams moving him over to second via a sacrifice bunt.

Taylor then scored on Connor Joe’s double to left field for the winning run.

Joe, who has batted leadoff in every game this season, was 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

Ke’Bryan Hayes and Andrew McCutchen also collected RBIs in the eighth to give the Pirates a 6-3 lead.

The Pirates added two more in the ninth on a two-run double by Bryan Reynolds, scoring Taylor and Williams, both of whom singled.

“(We’re) putting together tough at-bats,” Gonzales said. “That’s the biggest thing right now. Our guys just don’t give in. You really just can’t put us away. That says a lot about our character.”

Gonzales, making his first start of the season, lasted five innings, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in a no-decision.

“He was effective, he was efficient … but overall, it was really important for him to be able to go out there and execute,” manager Derek Shelton said. “He did a nice job.”

The Pirates gave him an early 2-0 lead in the second when Taylor’s sacrifice fly scored Henry Davis, who doubled.

Then Reynolds drove in Oneil Cruz on an RBI groundout. Cruz had singled and was moved into scoring position when Williams singled, and Joe got hit by Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore.

The Nationals got one off of Gonzales in the third, but Joe made it 3-1 in the sixth when he singled home Davis, who hit his second double of the day.

Contreras pitched a solid bottom of the sixth, getting all three outs and stranding two runners after Shelton removed Gonzales.

But in the seventh, Contreras’ season debut turned sour when Adams took him deep, tying the score.

Contreras ended up recording the win but blew a save opportunity.

Ryder Ryan took over in the eighth and pitched a clean inning, but he allowed a single, walk and run in the bottom of the ninth, at which point Shelton inserted Aroldis Chapman with two outs.

Chapman earned his first save with the Pirates by getting Lane Thomas to fly out to end the game.