Waino, Piscotty Halt Redbird Slide, Lead Cards To 5-1 Win

Adam Wainwright gave up an opening single to JJ, but nothing came of it thx to great spear of JHK's liner by 3B Greg Garcia. Tyler Glasnow walked his first hitter, losing Garcia on a 3-2 fastball. He stole second as Glasnow picked up his first whiff (finished after a very loud foul by Aledmys Diaz on a hung hook), and a couple of rollers completed his first big league frame. Matt Joyce started the second with a two bagger, tagged aggressively on a medium fly and scored on the contact play when Jordy pushed a ball to the right side. The Redbirds went down in order, tho they ran Ty's pitch count up to 41.

Tyler Glasnow gets his first MLB whiff (image via MLB.com)

Waino worked an easy third; ditto for Glasnow. The Redbird righty got all three Bucs swinging in the fourth; he's changing speeds and working the edges of the zone beautifully since Joyce's double. This time around, Diaz made no mistake when Tyler hung him an 0-2 curve, drilling it off high the LF wall for a leadoff triple. Almost worked out of it, too, but a two-out wild pitch (Fryer lined up outside and the fastball went inside) sent Diaz home. Jordy walked with an out in the fifth, ending Wainwright's streak at 10 straight retired Buccos and Tyler added a two out knock, but JJ's fly stopped the music. With one gone, Randal Grichuk put the Birds ahead when he launched a first pitch hook, once again hung, 441' into the stands.

Gregory started the sixth by fouling a ball off his left knee; the achy-legged El Coffee went down, but stayed in the game. JHK banged a two out double and Joyce spanked a ball, but Matt Adams snared it nicely to end the frame. Garcia opened the Card half with a double; it's the third time through the order for Tyler, always a testy proposition. He was bunted to third (Matheny had his best hitter, Diaz, lay one down w/no outs, tho the odd call had no bearing overall), followed by a four pitch walk. That brought a barely loose Arquimedes Caminero into the game and he served up a homer (verified by ump review) to Stephen Piscotty to make it 5-1.

Jordy doubled with an out in the seventh, and Waino was again saved by a timely at 'em ball as Diaz grabbed Adam Frazier's two-out liner. Jared Hughes got the call and gave up a grounder up the middle and a bunt single - the Cards execute that ploy well - and they were bunted up. This time, the baseball gods gifted the Pirates with a liner to a mitt; Garcia's head-high bullet back to the box was gloved by Jared (self preservation is a wonderful instinct) and he doubled off the runner at first.

Jordy had a double and walk today as he continues his solid stickwork (image via Pgh Pirates)

Tyler Lyons took the ball in the eighth. El Coffee blooped a single after S-Rod had his laser ticketed for left snared by Garcia, whose been sharp at the hot corner, and Trevor Rosenthal was called in to dispatch the Bucs. Jared tossed a clean frame. Seung Hwan Oh came in for the kill in the ninth and quietly ended it.

Hey, a 7-2 road trip is a pearl even without the sweep (3-of-4 ain't bad), and hopefully the Bucs can carry it over as they enter the weekend series against the Cubbies. Wainwright did a masterful job of keeping the ball out of the hitting zone, and when in a jam had three probable RBI bullets find leather; mama said there'd be days like this.

Tyler Glasnow went 5-1/3 IP, charged with four runs on three hits, two walks, and five 5 Ks after 87 pitches, a solid effort with the final line marred by the Bucs first big bullpen blunder of the road trip. His control was better than advertised (13-of-21 Bird batters saw first pitch strikes), but his command needs some work; those hung curves, especially as that's his bread-and-butter, have to be cut back. His heater worked, and his velo was 95-97 through the game. A third pitch would help, too. But a nice job for his first outing, exhibiting some great stuff, and one to learn from; he's not a polished product yet.

• The Pirates only mustered six hits today; Jordy was the sole Pirate to reach twice, doubling and drawing a walk.
• With his outing today, Tyler Glasnow became the fifth Pirate to make his MLB starting debut this season, joining Jameson Taillon, Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault and Wilfredo Boscan. That's the most, per Elias Sports, since the Bucs trotted out six rookie hurlers in 1903.
• Michael Bradburn of MLB Daily Dish examines the moving parts involved with dealing Jon Niese.
• Another recent rumor being floated is that the Bucs were scouting Oakland's Rich Hill. With the potential logjam of starters after the ASB when Cole Train & JT return, we wouldn't put a lot of credence in that report. They were more likely looking at the A's pen, though the recent brilliance of the Pirate relievers would make that task seem more like due diligence than actual wish-listing.
• More good news for the pipeline: Nick Kingham, who missed 13 months after TJ surgery, is due to pitch in the GCL tomorrow per Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects.