Joshua Palacios homers, throws runner out at home as Pirates cruise past Nationals

Joshua Palacios gave the Pittsburgh Pirates the lead over his former team with his bat, then helped protect it with his arm.

The right fielder hit a two-run home run in the second inning and threw a runner out at the plate in the seventh, as the Pirates beat the Washington Nationals, 5-1, on Tuesday night before 9,222 at PNC Park.

“I mean, overall, good at bats. Even his outs were loud,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Palacios, who went 2 for 4 with a walk and two groundouts. “And he made a great throw, which was a big throw at that point. I don’t think he could have played a better game.”

Pirates starter Bailey Falter (2-8), acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies at the trade deadline, provided a quality start. Shelton credited the left-hander for being “extremely efficient,” as Falter allowed one run on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts on 67 pitches over six innings. It marked the third consecutive outing — and fifth in his last six — that Falter allowed one run or fewer.

“It’s exactly what I wanted when I came over here,” Falter said, “so I’m glad everything’s working out as planned over here.”

The bullpen got three scoreless innings from Carmen Mlodzinski, Colin Holderman and Ryan Borucki.

The Pirates, on the other hand, could have produced a much more lopsided score. They had 11 hits and drew 10 walks (four intentional) but left the bases loaded four times and stranded 15 runners by going 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

It was their most intentional walks in a game since drawing four in 15 innings against Houston on Sept. 27, 2006, and their most in a nine-inning game since drawing four against Cincinnati on Sept. 19, 1999.

Usually, the Pirates would have ended up on the wrong side of the outcome with such a performance. Shelton, however, was more concerned with their solid swings and hard contact.

“The fact that we’re creating baserunners, we’re going to get balls to fall in, especially with the swings we took,” Shelton said. “It was a different game. It would be frustrating if we wouldn’t have taken good swings … Overall, I thought we had really productive at-bats.”

The Pirates selected Palacios from the Nationals in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft at the winter meetings last December, and he has delivered big moments with his bat.

Palacios hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning of a 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on July 31 — his 28th birthday — and had the deciding homer in a 7-6 win over St. Louis on Sept. 2.

“This is a guy who has a lot of enthusiasm. He controls himself very well, which is why he’s one of the leaders in the National League in pinch hits,” Shelton said. “This is a guy who wasn’t in big-league camp, started the year in Double-A and just performed his way to the big leagues. We talked at the beginning of the year if guys perform, even if they’re not on the roster, then they’re going to have an opportunity to get at-bats. He’s done it and deserving.”

After the Pirates stranded two runners in the first inning, they made up for it in the second when Endy Rodriguez drew a full-count walk and Palacios followed by driving Joan Adon’s 0-1 sinker 410 feet to center for a two-run homer, his eighth of the season.

“Felt great. Homers are always great,” Palacios said. “I had a great time. I’m glad I could put two runs on the board for my team and try to get that W.”

Falter got defensive help to prevent the Nationals from reaching second, as the Pirates turned a 5-4-3 double play in the second inning, and Rodriguez threw out Alex Call at second base in the third.

In the fourth, left fielder Bryan Reynolds robbed Lane Thomas of an extra-base hit by stretching to snag a line drive at the warning track. But that didn’t deter the Nationals, who connected on three consecutive two-out hits.

Keibert Ruiz reached on a single to short, and Joey Meneses followed with a book-rule double to left to put a pair of runners in scoring position. Ildemaro Vargas lined to left to drive in Ruiz and cut the Pirates’ lead to 2-1, putting runners on the corners, before Carter Kieboom grounded into a forceout to end the rally.

The Pirates left the bases loaded in the third, fourth innings and fifth innings.

In the third, Jack Suwinski singled to right, Connor Joe and Palacios drew walks but Miguel Andujar grounded out to second. With two outs in the fourth, Reynolds drew a walk, Ke’Bryan Hayes singled to center and the Nationals intentionally walked Suwinski before Joe flied out center.

The Pirates increased their lead in the fifth, when Rodriguez doubled, advanced to third on a Palacios single and scored on Andujar’s single to right for a 3-1 lead. With the bases loaded, Reynolds grounded out to second to score Andujar to make it 4-2.

But after the National intentionally walked Hayes to load the bases again, Suwinski was called out looking at a Robert Garcia fastball outside the zone for the final out.

The Nationals threatened to score in the seventh. Vargas hit a one-out double off Mlodzinski and tried to go home from second on Dominic Smith’s single to right field, but Palacios made a perfect throw to get Vargas out at the plate.

The Pirates loaded the bases again in the seventh on an Alika Williams single, Ji Hwan Bae book-rule double and an intentional walk of Reynolds. This time, Hayes hit a sacrifice fly to left to drive in Williams for a 5-1 lead. Amos Willingham intentionally walked Suwinski to load them again, then got Joe to ground out to second.

Palacios wanted to finish his day with another homer after learning that his younger brother, Richie, homered twice for the Cardinals in a 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. Instead, Joshua Palacios grounded into a double play in his final at-bat in the eighth.

“The fans were screaming in the outfield that my brother hit two homers,” Joshua Palacios said. “That last at-bat, I was like, ‘I’m gonna get my best swing off here.’ That was pretty sick. I’m happy for him. That’s pretty cool. I’m glad my parents got to enjoy this day.”