April 16, 2026Updated 6:15 am EDT
A pair of baseball’s best power hitters face off when the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals play at PNC Park, at 12:35 p.m. ET on Thursday. Brandon Lowe has seven home runs (second in league) for the Pirates, and C.J. Abrams ranks sixth with six round-trippers for the Nationals. Braxton Ashcraft (1-1, 2.12 ERA) will start for the Pirates, who are 11-7 this season and second in the NL Central. Foster Griffin (2-0, 1.76 ERA) is the expected starter for the Nationals, who are 8-10 and fourth in the NL East.
How to watch Washington Nationals vs. Pittsburgh PiratesNationals vs. Pirates odds
Injury reportsPirates
Jared Triolo: 10 Day IL (Knee), Jared Jones: 60 Day IL (Elbow)
Nationals
Cole Henry: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Ken Waldichuk: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Josiah Gray: 60 Day IL (Elbow), DJ Herz: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Trevor Williams: 60 Day IL (Elbow)
Stats to know
- Pittsburgh’s Lowe has hit seven home runs this season, which ranks 2nd in MLB. He has also tallied 15 RBIs (13th in MLB) and has scored 11 runs. In 72 plate appearances, he has recorded a .250 BA, .375 OBP and .633 SLG with a 15.3% walk rate and a 20.8% strikeout rate.
- In 79 plate appearances, Oneil Cruz has hit five long balls (12th in MLB), tallied 16 RBIs (10th in MLB) and scored 14 runs (17th in MLB). He is batting .310/.380/.563 and has posted a 31.6% strikeout rate and an 8.9% walk rate. Cruz has recorded seven steals on eight attempts (4th in MLB).
- Abrams is hitting for a .367 BA, .458 OBP and .717 SLG with a 13.9% strikeout rate and a 9.7% walk rate. His OPS is 1.175, which ranks 2nd in MLB, and he has scored 12 runs. In 72 plate appearances, he has hit six home runs (6th in MLB) and driven in 19 runs (2nd in MLB). Abrams has recorded four steals on six attempts.
- In 87 plate appearances, James Wood has hit five long balls (12th in MLB), tallied 14 RBIs (19th in MLB) and scored 15 runs (7th in MLB). He is batting .250/.379/.542 and has posted a 32.2% strikeout rate and a 16.1% walk rate. Wood has recorded three steals on three attempts.
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Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images
Apr 16, 2026
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