Bullpen Can't Hold Lead, Bucs Fall 4-3

The Bucs stranded a pair in the first and the Cards left one aboard though neither side got a hit. Chad Kuhl and Carlos Martinez both walked a guy and the Redbirds threw in an error. The Pirates boogied a bit in the second. Chad doubled home Jordy with two outs and Fraze's two-bagger brought him in, but the other side of the pillow was two more stranded runners.  It took five pitches for St Louis to tie it up on a Fraze boot and Yadier Molina dinger. The Pirates left a couple of more runners on the pond; they've got seven LOB and are 1-for-8 w/RISP through six. So did the Cards - they have just two hits (both by Molina) but five walks.

Nice start for Chad; bad finish by the pen (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

The seventh was fun as Fraze legged out an inside-the-park (actually, Dexter Fowler face-planted the fence chasing Adam's fly and couldn't get back up) against John Brebbia to give the Bucs the lead. The glow didn't last long. Matt Carpenter tied it with a traditional dinger off Dovydas Neverauskas. Tyler Lyon shut the door in the eighth. George Kontos gave up a lead-off double by Paul DeJong, and he scored on two grounders. The scoring dribbler was hit into the teeth of the Pirates D -  a shifted (three guys between second and third) and drawn-in infield - and still worked without so much as a play at home. Juan Nicasio came in to work the ninth. Jordy singled before Nicasio tucked the Bucs away. Juan Nicasio, the gift that keeps on giving.

Notes:

• Gregory had three hits, Fraze two and Jordy kicked in with a knock and a walk.
• The Pirates have dropped four in a row.
• Fraze's inside-the-parker came almost three years to the day after the Buccos last in-the-house homer, spanked by Cutch against Philadelphia on September 9th, 2014.
• The Altoona Curve whipped Bowie, 6-1, for a three-game sweep of the Eastern League playoff series. Austin Coley got the win while Pablo Reyes and Wyatt Mathisen homered. The Curve moves on to Championship for the third time and will meet the Yankees AA affiliate, the Trenton Thunder.
• Durham beat Indy 4-3 tonight, ending the Indians' playoff run; expect a couple of call-ups now.