PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — A dominant outing from ace Paul Skenes and a historic 10-run sixth inning powered the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 16-5 rout of the Washington Nationals on Monday night at PNC Park.

The game, played before an announced crowd of 11,532 in 2 hours and 54 minutes, transformed from a tight pitchers’ duel into a one-sided offensive explosion, decisively snapping Washington’s three-game winning streak.

Skenes, the Pirates’ top star, set the tone with six masterful innings, allowing just one hit and one earned run while striking out six. His only blemish was a solo home run to Washington shortstop CJ Abrams in the first inning. That blast, Abrams’ fifth of the season, staked the Nationals to an early 1-0 lead against the reigning National League Cy Young Award contender.

Washington starter Cade Cavalli navigated early trouble in the first, stranding a runner after an error, but could not escape the second inning. The Pirates sent nine men to the plate, capitalizing on patient at-bats. With the bases loaded, Oneil Cruz drew a walk to force in the tying run. Brandon Lowe then delivered a two-run single, and Bryan Reynolds followed with an RBI single to cap a four-run frame, giving Pittsburgh a 4-1 advantage.

Spencer Horwitz extended the lead with a solo homer in the third, making it 5-1. From there, Skenes took over, retiring 12 of the final 13 batters he faced. The Nationals managed just two baserunners against him after the first inning, both via walks.

The most important part of the game arrived in the bottom of the sixth, with the Pirates leading 5-1. What began as a modest rally against Washington reliever Jackson Rutledge quickly escalated into a historic inning. The Pirates batted around and then some, sending 16 men to the plate. The onslaught featured seven hits, four walks, and 10 runs, turning a competitive game into a laugher.

The inning was highlighted by a three-run triple from Reynolds, who finished with four RBIs, and a towering grand slam from Lowe. Lowe’s sixth homer of the year, a blast to right field, was the exclamation point, scoring three ahead of him and capping his five-RBI night. Cruz also contributed a two-run single in the frame, finishing with three RBIs.

Washington showed a flicker of life in the seventh against Pirates reliever Evan Sisk, who had been sharp in two innings of work. Jacob Young launched a two-run homer, and Nasim Nuñez added a two-run single to account for a four-run rally, cutting the deficit to 15-5. It was too little, too late.

Pittsburgh added a final run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Joey Bart to provide the final 16-5 margin.

Skenes earned the win, improving to 3-1 on the season and continuing a stellar start to his 2026 campaign. Over his last three outings, he has allowed just three earned runs in 17.1 innings. Cavalli took the loss for Washington, falling to 0-1 after surrendering four runs, three earned, in 1.2 innings.

For the Nationals, reliever Paxton Schultz provided a bright spot with 2.2 innings of one-run ball, striking out four. Orlando Ribalta pitched a perfect inning of relief.

The victory improved the Pirates’ record to 10-6, while the Nationals fell to 7-9. The teams are scheduled to continue their four-game series on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Nationals: Continue their series in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. Pirates: Host the second game of the series on Tuesday.

PROJECTIONS & BETTING

The final score wildly exceeded pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 7-3 Pirates victory, while its ELO system gave Pittsburgh a 58.7% probability to win. The Pirates covered the pregame spread of -1.5, but the combined total of 21 runs sailed far over the over/under line of 7.