Bucs Fail At Fundamentals; Rally Falls Short 4-3

Joey Lucchesi and Willy exchanged clean first frames. The Bucs drew a pair of two-out walks in the second that led to no damage. The Friars used a one-down double, single and grounder that the Pirates should have but didn't turn into a DP to score the game's opening tally. Pittsburgh drew another two-out walk in the third. Wil Myers added to the Padre lead with a two-out homer, ripping a fastball.
Freeser opened the fourth with an infield bleeder; an Eli twin-killing and AM whiff ended that quickly. SD went down quietly. Pittsburgh got a leadoff walk in the fifth followed by three bounce-outs; the Bucs haven't hit a ball out of the infield yet. Williams walked two (the eight hitter and a pinch hitter) and it hurt; a bunt moved them up and Myers' double chased them both home.

Willy's homecoming wasn't a party (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Richard Rodriguez came in to close the gate. Matt Strahm took over in the sixth. A J-Bell knock, Freeser double and Eli grounder got the Buccos on the board. Ric Rod was dented for a two-out two-bagger but no runs. Craig Stammen got the ball in the seventh and Gregory doubled to start, his ball almost but not quite snared by CF Travis Jankowski. He never moved. Tyler Glasnow picked up two K in a clean inning. Kirby Yates got the eighth and didn't break a sweat putting the Pirates away. Ty tossed another quiet frame.

Brad Hand came in for the kill in the ninth. Eli dropped a double into left to leadoff off an 0-2 slider, followed by an AM two-bagger also on an 0-2 pitch. Gregory got a two-strike fastball at the knees and banged a triple to right that withstood a tag challenge; back-to-back lefty bangs off the southpaw closer, hmmm... Jordy's fly to right wasn't deep enough for a tag. Joey O grabbed a stick and flew out foul to right. Gregory should have scored (the fielder banged into the Petco railing making the catch and then threw the ball nowhere near home), but Polanco wasn't on the bag, instead wandering down the baseline; both he and Joey Cora were asleep at the wheel. Starling got one pitch in the strike zone but still managed to fan. Pirates Pirating...

Hero and goat at the same time (image Positively Pittsburgh)

No use repeating the offense has tanked; Lucchesi was good, but the Pirates have no discipline, and they missed a million balls in the hitting zone. Add in giving up two runs by walking the 8-9 hitters, then Gregory's nap... It's kinda sad to watch games like this; a major league team should be better at the thinking game.

Notes:

• Gregory & Freeser each had two hits (El Coffee also walked twice); the team had seven raps total.
• Starling Marte batted .167 (17-for-102) in June.
• S-Rod (quad) is going to Indy to begin his rehab assignment.
• Mitch Keller didn't have a very hot debut at Indy. His line: eight runs in 2-2/3 IP, with 10 hits, two walks and three strikeouts on 70 pitches.