Pirates' Bubba Chandler Establishes Dominant Fastball

"It felt like the command with my heater was really good," Chandler said postgame. "I was picking lanes to throw to and I was getting to those lanes. When that's happening, it opens up a lot of other pitches. It's not always going to be like that, but the days that it is like that are  fun."

Chandler's effectiveness with the fastball allowed him to mix his other pitches in, especially his changeup, which he threw 22 times, averaging 92.1 mph and getting a 36.4% whiff rate on it.

He also threw eight sliders and six curveballs, making it about a 60-40 split with the fastball and the offspeed, which resulted in a great start for him.

Chandler thanked Pirates catcher Henry Davis for giving him the best spots and opportunities to throw it and that he's getting more confident with the changeup each outing.

"I think the best pitch in baseball is a right-on-right changeup," Chandler said. "It was something I didn't necessarily have until last year. Just getting more and more confident everyday throwing  it. I think it's a pitch that's good. I don't want to say it's the best pitch I've got, but thanks for Henry (Davis) for saying that.

"It's a timing pitch. It's a slower pitch off the heater and  when you're lining up your heater, kind of like I was today, the changeup really plays. Have no complaints on the way I was throwing it and I think Henry was giving me great targets, doing everything I asked him to do and he did a great job"

Pirates manager Don Kelly also liked what he saw from his rookie, especially following his last start where he gave up nine runs to the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park on Sept. 7 in a 10-2 loss.

Kelly has great confidence in Chandler, calling him a "competitor" and that the way he pitched vs. the Nationals just shows how he can bounce back quickly and get back to his dominance that made him the top prospect in baseball.

“Unbelievable. Held the velocity all the way through, the intent with which he threw every pitch and the ability to mix it up. Throwing 100-plus and still able to go to the changeup and slider effectively for strikes, just pitched really awesome.