Bucs Dig Out of Early Hole to Run Away From Chisox 10-6

Lucas Giolito had no trouble with the Bucs in the first, giving up a two-out knock and steal to Starling. Ivan Nova had nothing but trouble, thanks to an overturned call and some night vision woes. With an out, a bang-bang play at first originally went the Bucs way; Chicago challenged and won. A Yolmer Sanchez triple ( a ball that Corey D lost in the lights) and grounder made it 2-0; a walk and Welington Castillo dinger made it 4-0 with Ivan at 51! pitches. The Bucs answered in the second. Corey Dickerson doubled and Cervy was bopped; they scored on a Joey O knock and Jordy force (which was a gnat's eyelash from being a DP). Fraze walked and Gregory hit a ground-rule double to plate another; the game would be tied if the ball hadn't hopped the fence. No diff; Starling's single knotted it, tho El Coffee was cut down at home on a very aggressive wave by Joey Cora. A single and Jose Abreu two-bagger quickly regained the lead, but that was all the damage as the pitch count rose to 77 for Nova.

Tyler provided some nice bridge work tonight (photo Joe Guzy/Pirates)

J-Bell opened the third with a walk and Corey D followed with a bloop single off a mitt. Two force outs (the second was challenged by CWS, who were looking for a DP but no luck this time) left Bucs on the corners; Giolito got Joey O, jamming him into a popout. Tyler Glasnow worked a clean frame. After two outs in the fourth, Gregory legged out an infield rap before Starling K'ed; he and Jordy basically mailed in their at-bats. Tyler had another quiet frame and Chris Volstad took over in the fifth. J-Bell opened with a bleeder and Amore singled him up a notch an out later. Both came around on Red Beard's double. Jordy fouled off ball four; good thing, too, as he spanked the next pitch into center to plate Moran. Abreu led off with the first knock against Glasnow. Tyler came back with a long at-bat ending in a K, and Clint waved in Edgar Santana with Ty at 41 pitches, apparently as a pitch count/confidence booster matter as he doesn't seem hurt. Santana's third pitch was bounced up the middle where Fraze turned it into a 4-3 DP. The game is nearly 2-1/2 hours long at this point.

They'll have to start pitching kryptonite to Corey (photo Pgh Pirates)

Lefty Luis Avilan took the ball in the sixth and walked Gregory. Marte went down looking; strike three may have been a little tight, but worth spoiling. J-Bell took a two-strike heater the oppo way, tripling in El Coffee. He trotted home after Corey D's knock, and that brought Chris Beck to the hill. Corey was caught stealing (sheesh; he even came up limping but played on), then Cervy walked and Red Beard singled but no more fun was allowed. The Sox got back-to-back one-out knocks and a grounder moved them up; they stayed put. Beck tossed a clean seventh and Michael Feliz came on for Pittsburgh; a single, whiff and 4-6-3 DP was his work line. Joakim Soria got the eighth inning wave and gave up a leadoff knock to Starling. He moved up on a roller and scored on Corey D's fourth knock. Cervy ended the inning with a bullet to center; Trayce Thompson made a fab grab and doubled Corey up. George Kontos answered the phone and was greeted by a Castillo homer, his second of the night, but got the next three outs w/o drama. Hector Santiago climbed the hill for the ninth and tossed a 1-2-3 frame, as did Felipe Vazquez; RTJR.

J-Bell added a couple of knocks tonight (photo Pgh Pirates)

The Sox are a bad team right now and the Bucs did what they had to do, though back-to-back shellings of Ivan is a worrisome thing. It was good, tho, to see Tyler pick up the slack and the win. So enjoy this one and get in a quick nap before tomorrow's getaway game.

Notes:

• This was Corey D's fifth three-hit+ game and his second in a row. The Bucs had 16 hits and Corey had four of them. Starling had three knocks while Gregory, J-Bell and Colin Moran had a pair each. Every starting position player reached base safely and either plated or chased home a run. Each team used six pitchers.
• The game picked up its pace late; it ended up at 3:53 after looking like it might be pushing five hours early on.
• Rehabbing Joe Musgrove has a start at Bradenton and another at Altoona under his belt; the next outing, per Clint, is tentatively scheduled for Indy.
• The Reds landed RHP Matt Harvey from the Mets, sending them C Devin Mesoraco and cash to offset his salary; no question that the pair needed a change of scenery.
• James Paxton of the Mariners tossed a no hitter against the Blue Jays in Toronto tonight. He fanned seven and walked three, tossing 99 pitches. He was the first Canadian (his nickname is "Maple Leaf" and he has a maple leaf tat on his arm) to toss a no-no in the motherland and the second Canuck to do the deed; Dick Fowler of the Philly A's tossed a no hitter in 1945.