Herz and Crews star as the Nationals beat the Pirates 5-3 in a doubleheader opener

PITTSBURGH (AP) DJ Herz pitched five hitless innings and fellow rookie Dylan Crews homered, helping the Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 on Saturday in the opener of a split doubleheader.

Herz (3-7) was lifted after 87 pitches. He struck out five and walked three in his first win since Aug. 3.

Manager Dave Martinez did not want to push Herz any further. Herz has thrown a combined 114 1/3 innings between the majors and minors this season, a career high for the 23-year-old left-hander.

“I totally understand, and I agree with it,” Herz said of being removed from the game. “I just keep pitching as long as they keep me out there and then we go from there. I understand what they are doing.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton was impressed by Herz.

“It was interesting. I don’t know if we’ve seen a young pitcher like that vary the speeds of his fastball. 92, 94, 96, back to 92, went back up,” Shelton said. “He did a nice job at the top of the zone, and we just did not adjust to it.”

Crews hit a solo drive in the second against Luis Ortiz for his third homer since being called up from Triple-A Rochester last month. The No. 2 pick in last year’s amateur draft also hit a run-scoring double in a two-run sixth that lifted the Nationals to a 4-0 lead.

“(Ortiz) obviously has a great arm and you’ve got to beat him to the fastball,” said Crews, who entered the day in a 2-for-16 slump. “That what I was trying to do, and it felt good. It felt like, as a team, we were getting barrels on the ball.”

Robert Garcia replaced Herz and retired five straight batters before Nick Gonzales grounded a single into center field with two outs in the seventh.

Rowdy Tellez greeted Jacob Barnes with a two-run shot that bounced into the Allegheny River beyond the right-field stands. Tellez’s sixth career pinch homer cut the Nationals’ lead to 4-2.

Kyle Finnegan pitched a shaky ninth inning for his 35th save in 40 chances. Gonzales hit an RBI single with one out, but Bryan De La Cruz grounded into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded.

“I was motivated by the fact that I was getting soft contact,” Finnegan said. “In the ninth inning, a baserunner is a baserunner no matter how he gets on. I felt good about my stuff and that I could get out of (the jam).”

The Pirates were no-hit on Wednesday in Chicago. The Cubs’ Shota Imanaga, Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge combined on the gem.

Jose Tena had two hits for the Nationals, who had lost five of six.

The Nationals grabbed a 2-0 lead when Luis García Jr. scampered home on Joey Bart’s passed ball with two out in the fourth. García also hit an RBI double in the sixth.

Washington scored its last run on CJ Abrams’ sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Ortiz (6-5) allowed four runs - three earned - and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. Crews’ homer snapped Ortiz’s streak of 16 scoreless innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: RHP Trevor Williams (strained right forearm flexor) will make a rehab start on Tuesday for Double-A Harrisburg. Williams is expected to go four innings and throw 65-70 pitches.

Pirates: Bart (strained left hamstring) was activated from the 10-day IL after being out since Aug. 26. OF Billy McKinney was designated for assignment to open a roster spot.

UP NEXT

Nationals rookie LHP Mitchell Parker (7-9, 4.27 ERA) was scheduled to face Pirates RHP Mitch Keller (11-9, 3.88 ERA) in the second game.

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