Eduardo Escobar has been owning the Pirates this series; he tripled (J-Mart didn't play the ball very well, prob adding a base) off Jordan Lyles and scored on a single. Lyles rushed a tapper and tossed it away to put Snakes at second and third. A sac fly plated another run, putting Pittsburgh in a quick 2-0 hole. Redbeard singled and J-Bell walked with two away against Merrill Kelly, but Cervy K'ed to douse the flames. Nick Ahmed led off the second with a dinger, followed by a double. J-Bell was heads up; he snagged a grounder and threw out the lead runner, who was caught in no-mans land. It was just a temporary reprieve; Escobar doubled with two outs to make it 4-0. JHK opened with a double; J-Mart was robbed of a hit on his ball to second, although it did move Kang to third, where he stayed. Cole Tucker has had his moments, but he's still a pup who's K'ed 5 times in 15 PA's; Lyles then went down looking. The third went quietly; 'Zona had the only hit, and Cervy picked the runner off second (you think they would have learned their lesson after last night.) Lyles spun another clean inning in the fourth, and J-Bell dropped a shot into the seats to make it 4-1.
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| J-Bell needs some help...2017 Bowman Rookie |
Ketel Marte's long ball to lead off the fifth got that run back in a hurry. The Bucs put together back-to-back one-out knocks from Fraze and Melky, but the Bucs big guns, Colin and J-Bell, couldn't get the ball past the infield this time around. Nick Kingham got the sixth inning call and tossed a clean frame; Jung Ho Kang went long to make it 5-2. The seventh is the Snakes' big frame this season, and it was again tonight. With a runner on first and two outs, a walk (to Escobar) followed by a pair of doubles (J-Mart mishandled the first, allowing Escobar to score) pretty much turned out the lights at 8-2. Pittsburgh made not a peep in their half. Steven Brault was waved in for the eighth and gave up four hits; the first two scored on the third, another Marte bomb (the switch-hitter has one from both sides tonight). Matt Koch gave up a one-out double to J-Bell; he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a three-bagger after the relay got through the second baseman while down by nine runs...and of course Franny singled afterward. The D-Backs went down in order in the ninth. Cotuck doubled with an out; he didn't score either, as the Bucs ended up 0-for-8 w/RISP tonight (even if they had brought them all in, they would have lost, but it's the thought that counts...)
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| JHK's been making solid contact since his sit down, but w/o much ball luck. (2017 Donruss) |
Ouch. Tonight was a reminder of what happens when the team doesn't get great pitching, at least until the major league talent gets healthy.
Notes:
- J-Bell and Jung Ho had identical lines: 2-for-3 with a homer, double, and walk.
- Bryan Reynolds took pregame BP, which is an encouraging sign. Starling began working out lightly today; there's guarded optimism that
he may be ready for action Monday when he's eligible to come off the IL. As for the other walking wounded, Kevin Newman & Lonnie Chisenhall are both on Indy rehab stints, Joey O is rehabbing with Bradenton, and Corey Dickerson & Jake Stallings are still in "baseball activity" mode.
- The Pirates announced that SS Erik Gonzalez will undergo surgery to “repair and internally fixate” his fractured left clavicle. That involves the use of plates and screws, and usually hastens recovery and makes certain the bone mends in proper alignment. Also, the final word on Nick Burdi won't be heard until the Bucs visit Texas next week and he gets another poke and probe. The first diagnosis was a strain, but we'll have to wait and see what the second opinion is before Nick's out of the woods re: the knife.
- There were 9,450 at the yard tonight; that was down to about 450 by the seventh-inning stretch.
- LHP Taylor Hearn will be recalled from Nashville by Texas to make his MLB debut tomorrow night, starting in Seattle. He was sent to the Rangers as part of the Keone Kela deal.
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