Trevo Says No, Jordy & Starling Go Deep in 3-1 Bucco Win

The game started as most Bucs-Reds games do; Billy Hamilton singled and moved to second (via a bunt rather than steal this time). But Trevor Williams changed the script by picking Ham off second, so good start team! The Redlegs kept getting chances - they had three doubles after four innings - but Trevo kept them from touching home. The Pirates weren't doing much against Sal Romano, though they did draw first blood in the third when Jordy sent one over The Notch (it was Pittsburgh's first hit) to make it 1-0. Going into the bottom of the sixth, the score held even tho the Reds were outhitting the Corsairs eight-to-one. Cincy gifted the Bucs a run when the catcher dropped a Mad Max foul pop; Moroff doubled with the new life and scored on L-Lup's knock. The Bucs had a chance to pad the spread, but left the bases jammed when Kevin Shackelford caught Jordy looking.

Trevo looking for a strong finish... (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Trevo put up a zero in his last frame, the seventh. Ted Adleman hosted a Martay Partay as Starling dropped a baseball into the center field greenery. Huddy and Ariel Hernandez traded zippos in the eighth, with Hernandez striking out the side. Felipe Rivero took the ball and gave up a run via a Rube Goldberg machination -  a walk, defensive indifference to second, a balk and an error by Mad Max. That was followed by losing another base to indifference and then an infield single that Max should have handled but didn't. Another walk loaded them, but a comebacker put it to rest. So it's back-to-back series takes against the Reds; too bad they didn't start that thing a little earlier in the year. Trevo hung tough again; he works great from the stretch and if he didn't have his periodic foot-shooting episodes would be well south of his current 4.14 ERA.

Jordy swatted the eventual game-winner (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Notes:

• J-Bell had a hit and two walks; Jordy had a knock and a walk. The Pirates were outhit 10-5 during the game; the Redlegs stranded 10 runners.
• Jordy's homer was his 13th of the year, a personal single-season high. It was Mercer’s 45th home run as a shortstop, pushing him ahead of Gene Alley for the fifth in team history for SS. Glenn Wright is fourth with 50.
• Trevor Williams has 100 K on the nose. This is the first season since 1997 that the Pirates have five pitchers w/100+ K's (Gerrit Cole -160, Chad Kuhl - 117, Ivan Nova - 114, Jamo - 107, Williams -100) which is more likely a function of health rather than nastiness. (S/O to @JohnDreker).
• On his radio show, GM Neal Huntington floated the balloon that a rival leaked Juan Nicasio's waiver wire release to embarrass the Pirates. If that was the plan, it sure worked! And funny thing how that was to open up a spot for a younger guy - Huddy has become the eighth inning arm since Juan is gone.
• 24,474 were in the yard today in an afternoon that turned out pretty nice for a ball game.
• The Pirates and Cubs wrap up their season series with a four-game set that begins tomorrow afternoon. The Bucs have gone 7-8 against Chicago this year (2-4 at PNC Park and 5-4 at Wrigley Field).