That Jared Jones was outdueled by a fellow rookie right-hander was the least of the Pittsburgh Pirates concerns, who were more worried that the flamethrower had a noticeable drop in velocity on his fastball.

Jared Jones cruised through seven innings, striking out nine, as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 7-3 for a split of the four-game series.

After some early scuffles, the Pittsburgh rookie cruised as the Nationals fell, 7-3, to split the four-game series.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were swept in a doubleheader against the Washington Nationals on Saturday. Pittsburgh was no-hit through the first six innings in game one and fell 5-3 and blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning and lost 8-6.