Henry Davis, Pirates aim for series win vs. Nationals

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis is having fun again after a shaky start to his major league career.

Davis figures to be in the lineup again when the Pirates conclude their four-game series against the visiting Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon.

Pittsburgh has won two of the first three games of the set, including a 6-1 victory on Wednesday. The Nationals were held to three hits while losing for the fourth time in five games.

Davis played a key role in the latest win for Pittsburgh, which scored five runs in the seventh inning. The 25-year-old is looking for a fresh start after struggling against major league pitching in each of the past two seasons.

Davis has impressed Pirates manager Derek Shelton in five games since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday. His fifth-inning solo homer broke a scoreless tie on Wednesday, and he also threw out James Wood trying to steal second base in the first inning.

“Big homer to get us started,” Shelton said. “Every game that he’s caught so far, he’s done an outstanding job with his pitch-calling. … Overall, an outstanding game by Henry.”

Davis has faced high expectations since being selected first overall in the 2021 draft. He said he is bringing a different mindset to the park this season after hitting .144 with 45 strikeouts in 104 at-bats with the Pirates last year.

“Trust that I’m a very good player, don’t have to force it or make it happen,” Davis said. “… Show that I can be part of the team, help us win and letting it happen and have fun. I’ve never really had fun and played bad.”

The Pirates will send left-hander Andrew Heaney (0-1, 3.00 ERA) to the mound opposite Nationals right-hander Trevor Williams (1-1, 7.36) in the series finale.

Heaney is seeking his first victory this season after allowing a total of six runs while striking out 18 in his first three starts covering 18 innings.

The 33-year-old veteran permitted four runs over six innings and fanned six in a 5-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

Amed Rosario is 2-for-13 (.154) and Josh Bell is 2-for-12 (.167) against Heaney, who is 0-2 with a 5.14 ERA in five career games (four starts) vs. Washington.

Williams has allowed 23 hits in 14 2/3 innings through his first three starts this season. He gave up six runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings in a 7-6 loss to the Miami Marlins on Saturday.

“It is frustrating, believe me, seeing how many hits I give up,” Williams said. “You look at the box and you’re like, ‘Man, I feel like I didn’t give up eight hits today.’ But it’s just one of those things. They put together some great at-bats.”

Williams, 32, spent the first five seasons of his career with Pittsburgh. He is 2-1 with a 4.82 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates.

Washington’s bullpen continues to be a concern after Eduardo Salazar allowed Oneil Cruz’s first career grand slam in the Wednesday loss. The 26-year-old right-hander has surrendered a total of six runs over his last four appearances across 2 1/3 innings.

“He’s just got to get more aggressive,” Nationals manager Davey Martinez said. “He’s got really good stuff. We saw it in spring training. I saw it earlier. He’s got to get to being a little more aggressive and utilizing his fastball to get ahead. I think he’s throwing too many breaking pitches.”

–Field Level Media