{"id":676563,"date":"2026-04-15T23:51:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T23:51:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/676563\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T23:51:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T23:51:50","slug":"nationals-look-to-upset-pirates-in-thursday-matchup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/676563\/","title":{"rendered":"Nationals Look to Upset Pirates in Thursday Matchup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AA cubist interpretation of the upcoming clash between the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates, capturing the dynamic energy of the game through a fragmented, geometric lens.Today in Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

The Washington Nationals (8-9) will travel to PNC Park in Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates (10-7) on Thursday. The Nationals are listed as +132 underdogs on the moneyline, while the Pirates are favored at -160. Foster Griffin is set to start for Washington, while Braxton Ashcraft will take the mound for Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

This early-season NL East vs. NL Central matchup features two teams looking to establish themselves in the playoff race. The Nationals have struggled out of the gate but boast a potent offense, while the Pirates have gotten off to a solid start behind their pitching staff. A win for either team could provide momentum heading into the summer months.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

Washington’s offense has been productive, ranking first in MLB with 5.8 runs per game. They have a .271 team batting average and .429 slugging percentage, led by 20 home runs and 93 RBIs. However, the Nationals’ pitching has been a weakness, with a 6.08 team ERA that ranks 29th in the league. Pittsburgh’s pitching has been a strength, with a 3.45 team ERA that ranks 9th in MLB. The Pirates’ offense has also been solid, averaging 5.06 runs per game, 7th-best in baseball.<\/p>\n

The game is scheduled for Thursday, April 16, 2026.First pitch is set for 7:05 PM local time in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Foster Griffin<\/p>\n

The Nationals’ starting pitcher, who has a 3-0 career record with a 3.51 ERA in 23 innings pitched.<\/p>\n

Braxton Ashcraft<\/p>\n

The Pirates’ starting pitcher, who has a 5-5 career record with a 2.61 ERA in 86 innings pitched.<\/p>\n

Washington Nationals<\/p>\n

The visiting team, who are looking to bounce back from an 8-9 start to the season.<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Pirates<\/p>\n

The home team, who have gotten off to a 10-7 start and are looking to continue their strong pitching performance.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a big early-season game for both teams as they look to establish themselves in the playoff race.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Tony Sink, Sports Analyst<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The winner of this game will look to build momentum as they head into the summer months of the season.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

This matchup between the Nationals and Pirates features two teams heading in different directions early on. Washington’s potent offense will look to overcome Pittsburgh’s strong pitching staff in this intriguing NL clash.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a A cubist interpretation of the upcoming clash between the Washington…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":676564,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2398],"tags":[5,4,415,414,71,4222],"class_list":{"0":"post-676563","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-washington-nationals","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-mlb","10":"tag-nationals","11":"tag-washington","12":"tag-washington-nationals","13":"tag-washingtonnationals"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116411417254927014","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=676563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/676564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=676563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=676563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=676563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}