PITTSBURGH — Ke’Bryan Hayes capped off a ninth-inning rally with an RBI single as the Pittsburgh Pirates slipped past the Washington Nationals 4-3 on Friday night.

Hayes completed a two-run comeback by sending a pitch from Washington reliever Alberto Baldonado to right field, scoring Ben Gamel from third for the first walk-off hit of his career.

Pittsburgh trailed 3-2 going into the ninth but quickly put two men on off Washington rookie reliever Patrick Murphy (0-1). Murphy gave way to Baldonado, who retired Cole Tucker but allowed the tying run to score on a groundout to shortstop by Colin Moran.

Hayes then won it to spoil the return of former Pirates All-Star first baseman Josh Bell to PNC Park.

Bell, who spent five seasons in Pittsburgh and made the All-Star team in 2019 before being traded to the Nationals last December, hit his 26th home run of the season for Washington.

The home run was Bell’s seventh in his last 18 games, part of a late-season surge for the burly first baseman sent to Washington on Christmas Eve for prospects as part of a top-to-bottom rebuild in Pittsburgh.

Bell is hitting .313 (21 for 67) since Aug. 22, one of the few bright spots of late for the last-place Nationals.

Chad Kuhl (5-6) earned the victory after pitching a scoreless ninth. Hayes and Anthony Alford had two hits apiece for Pittsburgh. Alford’s solo homer in the seventh pulled the Pirates within 3-2.

Washington starter Josh Rogers kept Pittsburgh off balance for 6 2/3 innings in his second start for Washington.

Washington bench coach Tim Bogar served as manager after Major League Baseball suspended Dave Martinez one game and starting pitcher Sean Nolin five games after ruling Nolin intentionally hit Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman on Wednesday night.