ESPN News Services
PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes bounced back from the worst start of his career and teamed up with catcher Henry Davis to make a little history as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Washington Nationals 10-3 on Monday night.
Skenes and Davis became the first pitcher/catcher battery in major league history comprised of players selected No. 1 in the draft. Skenes (2-1), the top pick in 2023, gave up two runs, one earned, and struck out six in six innings as the Pirates ended a three-game losing streak.
Davis, selected No. 1 in 2021, singled after replacing injured starter Endy Rodriguez in the first inning. Rodriguez lacerated the index finger on his right hand after Skenes’ pitch hit James Wood‘s foot and deflected toward Rodriguez.
It hasn’t been as smooth a ride to the majors for Davis as it was for Skenes, but perhaps this is the year the 25-year-old, who had a standout career at Louisville, sticks with the big club. Just when it seemed he might have the inside track on the starting catcher job last season, the Pirates landed Joey Bart, who took over the club’s primary duties behind the plate.
“[Henry] can call a game,” Skenes said after the win. “He was prepared. It’s not a surprise. I’ve been with him for the better part of two years now. You want to see why he’s the type of player he is, you don’t have to look very far. For him to come into a tough situation, call the game and catch as well as he did says a lot about it.”
There might be a window now to gain additional starts at catcher. After the win, Pirates manager Derek Shelton told reporters that Rodriguez needed four stitches for a laceration on his right index finger, and that a trip to the injured list seemed likely.
“Just being ready to jump in, and know what [Skenes] wanted to do, and be on his page pretty quickly,” Davis said of his preparation for Monday’s moment, “that was the goal.”
The 22-year-old Skenes, who gave up a career-worst five runs in a loss to St. Louis last week, had little trouble with the Nationals. His only issue was with Pittsburgh’s defense, including his own. Skenes, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, was tagged with a pair of errors for wayward pickoff attempts, the second of which led to an unearned run in the sixth.
By then, however, the Pirates were comfortably ahead, a rarity during an ugly opening two-plus weeks to the season filled with missteps.
Oneil Cruz had two hits and scored twice while batting leadoff. Enmanuel Valdez and Ke’Bryan Hayes each drove in three runs. Bryan Reynolds drove in a pair of runs. Andrew McCutchen added a hit and made a pretty sliding grab in right field, flinging his 38-year-old body to the PNC Park turf to rob Keibert Ruiz of a hit in the sixth.
Nasim Nunez had two of Washington’s five hits. Brad Lord (0-1) slogged through 4⅓ innings, giving up four runs, three earned, and six hits with three walks and a strikeout.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
