Nats And Pirates Hurlers Will Have Early Game Edge

Nationals vs. Pirates, 12:35 ET

It is always crazy to think about how much changes from one season to the next. I suppose that is part of what we love about baseball and sports in general. You never know how the season is going to go until it happens. Last year, both of these teams looked like they were going nowhere and were disasters. Now, this year the Nationals are at least hovering around .500 and have been competitive, while the Pirates look like they might have a strong team for the first time in years. 

It has been fairly painful to watch the Nationals over the past few years. Last year, the team expected to be competitive, and when they weren’t, they blew up the team and the leadership. I essentially think the club decided they needed to bottom out further by trading away their starter, MacKenzie Gore. I won’t say the players they got in return are the reason for the early-season competition. CJ Abrams is playing like an MVP candidate, which is part of the reason. They also have guys like today’s starter, Foster Griffin, looking fantastic. Griffin has made three starts. He has gone five innings in all of them and allowed a total of three earned runs. Overall, that leads to a 1.76 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. The Pirates have never faced him.

Mar 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Foster Griffin (22) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Pirates haven’t offered their fandom much more excitement or pleasure over the years. At least the Nationals have a World Series trophy in the not-so-distant past. They did finally spend a bit of money this offseason, and they are trying to get the team built up to manage with their young talent. Oneil Cruz has been great so far this season, and Brandon Lowe has looked like a great addition. That has lead to excitement from Pittsburgh this season and a decent record to start the year. Today, they send out Braxton Ashcraft, who has been equally impressive. In three starts, he has two quality outings and allowed just four earned runs over 17 innings. He has a 1.00 WHIP and a 2.12 ERA for the year. He was strong last year in a (mostly) relief role, so it is possible he can maintain this for a full season. The Nationals have never faced him either. 

If you had to take one of these teams to make the playoffs or be competitive for the whole season, you’d have to pick the Pirates. If they can keep the team together and add to the successful starters they have, they have a real chance to make a deep postseason run in the near future. That’s something to worry about later. For now, I’m more curious about what we will get out of Ashcraft and Griffin today. Both teams are hitting rather well, but I like the way that the pitchers are throwing. I think this is a great opportunity to take the under through five. With both pitchers having the advantage the first time through, I think we could get three scoreless innings, and that means we just need to dodge the last two. Give me the first five under. 

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