Buc Bats Baffled Again As Snakes Sweep the Series 3-0

Hmmm...something totally different; a sprinkle pushed back the game time by 30 minutes. The time lag didn't change the Buccos' bad first inning vibes. An opening single was erased by a DP, just to be followed by another knock and a David Peralta bomb off Trevor Williams to make it 2-0. The Bucs went down in order against Clay Buchholz. In the second, John Ryan Murphy hit Willy's first pitch fastball over the wall. An ensuing boot by Red Beard didn't result in any more damage. For Pittsburgh, it was three up, three down. It was a clean third; S-Rod and J-Hay both made nice grabs behind Williams. The bottom of the Bucco order was no challenge to Buchholz. The Snakes opened the fourth with a rap, but a couple of K's evened it out. The Pittsburgh's finally got a runner when Starling doubled with two away before a whiff ended the short-lived rally. Willy looks settled now with another calm frame in the fifth. For the Bucs, another leading-to-naught two-out knock by J-Bell.

Willy had two pitches he'd like back... (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Trevor cruised through the sixth, and Andrew Chafin came on for Buchholz; we'll have to see what that's about, as Clay has a two-hitter after 53 tosses ('Zona announced later that his side tightened up). J-Hay doubled with one away but AM and Starling fanned behind him in not-very-disciplined efforts. Clay Holmes toed the slab in the seventh; Willy rallied to keep the Bucs in it after his two gopher balls. He gave up an opening walk but a DP cleaned it up.  After striking out the first two Buccos, Chafin was yanked for Yoshihisa Hirano, who finished it up. Clay spun a calm eighth. J-Bell opened the Bucco half with a knock; S-Rod rolled into a DP and another zip was on the board. Edgar Santana worked the ninth. A leadoff single moved to second after a grounder but went no further. Brad Boxberger came out with broom in hand; he gave up a one-out knock to AM before Starling hit into a game-ending DP to give the Snakes a four-game sweep.

Giving up three runs shouldn't be a death sentence, but for a Bucco attack that's managed just nine runs in the past six games, well, it's pretty close. Fives hits, with no two coming in the same frame, followed by two DPs don't leave a lot of runners to chase home. Plate discipline is the culprit, and that doesn't just include fishing expeditions, but balls in the hitting zone that are taken or fouled off. We're not sure if the Pirates have a Plan B, but they sure as heck better get crackin' on one - and don't look back; the last-place Reds are only four games from catching Pittsburgh.

J-Bell had two of the Bucs' five hits (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Notes:

• J-Bell had two hits; the Bucs had five total with no walks and nine whiffs. The D-Backs only needed 107 pitches to tuck Pittsburgh away.
• In a move announced just before game time, Michael Feliz was placed on the DL with right shoulder inflammation and Clay Holmes was recalled. He should be fresh and in sync; he was slated to start today.
• There were 19,027 in the house today.
• On his Sunday show, Neal Huntington said the current losing streak is something all young teams go through, and they're looking to bolster the roster as of now (although there have been "sources say" reports that the Pirates vets are being shopped). He added that the club still considers Steven Brault and Tyler Glasnow to be starting pitchers - someone should clue in Clint - and gave Joe Musgrove a vote of confidence. NH also has no problems with S-Rod being trotted out as often as he's been lately, though he did at least note that "...the batting average and production isn't where we wanted it to be, hoped it would be and thought it would be."
• LHP Oddy Nunez, who the Pirates signed as an 18-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2015, tossed a rain-shortened eight-inning no hitter today for Bradenton in a 5-0 win over Fort Meyers. It was the first no-no in Marauder history.