PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 15 - The Washington Nationals lost last night's series opener in Pittsburgh to Paul Skenes and the Pirates by a score of 10-3 after another disastrous eighth inning. The Nats kept it within reach throughout Skenes' start, but things fell apart toward the end just as they had on Sunday in Miami.​

Rookie right-hander Brad Lord made his second career start for Washington but struggled early, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings. This outing went much differently than his first against the Dodgers last week, which stunned many fans. The Pirates built a 5-0 lead through five innings, with Ke'Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds, and Enmanuel Valdez each contributing. ​Lord was relieved by Colin Poche, who finished the fifth inning while allowing a run on two hits and a walk. Jackson Rutledge pitched two scoreless innings but struggled when he came back out for the eighth. He allowed two runs without getting an out, and Eduardo Salazar came in to try and keep the deficit where it was. Instead, he allowed three more runs to score, which left the score at its final form, 10-3.

Offensively, the Nationals showed signs of life off of Skenes in the sixth inning. Nasim Nuñez, recently called up from Rochester with CJ Abrams out for at least the next week, led off with a double and later scored on a fielder's choice by James Wood. Nathaniel Lowe followed with an RBI single, narrowing the deficit to 5-2. In the eighth, Nuñez scored again on a single by Keibert Ruiz, bringing the score to 5-3. However, the Pirates responded with a five-run bottom half of the inning, highlighted by RBI hits from Valdez, Hayes, Tommy Pham, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, sealing the game at 10-3. ​While it was Skenes on the mound, the Nats really needed to score early last night to have a chance, and it sadly did not happen.

The story of this game was that the Nationals' bullpen continued to struggle, with five runs scoring off of them in the eighth inning. Offensively, Nuñez stood out and had a fantastic performance, going 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored in his first start with the big league club this season. Ruiz, Wood, and Lowe each had an RBI, but the team only got six hits in total.

Up next…

The Nationals will look to rebound tonight in Pittsburgh when Jake Irvin squares off with Mitch Keller, with all 18 players in the game wearing number 42 for Jackie Robinson Day. Mitchell Parker and Trevor Williams will pitch the Wednesday and Thursday games, respectively, before the Nationals head to Colorado for the weekend.