Shelty Wins First, Bucs Put It Together In 5-1 Win

Dakota Hudson and Mitch Keller exchanged clean first frames. Well, actually Fraze singled but was counting the crowd and got picked off first by Yadi while Jarrod Dyson had to kiss the wall to make a grab, but same result. Phil Evans singled in the second, but ended the inning with a CS; it was a hit-and-run gone astray as Joey O got brushed back and couldn't make contact. Mitch opened with a pair of walks, but got a timely 6-4-3 DP and fly to escape. Erik Gonzalez came through with a two-out rap and became the first Buc runner that Yadi didn't erase after Fraze fouled out. Keller has been working through a pretty tight strike zone; the Bucs began barking last inning and Derek Holland was heave-ho'ed for bench jockeying. Shelty then added a snarl, having a properly distanced and masked shouting match with plate ump Jordan Baker; Earl Weaver would be mortified. The ensuing walk was erased on a caught stealing - not exactly a base-running clinic today - followed by a Kolten Wong single. A wild pitch and Keller's late cover of first on a right side infield bouncer allowed him to hustle home to draw first blood.

Phil Evans - 2020 Brian Blanco/Getty

Holy Moly - the Bucs tied it in the fourth with a Captain Redbeard homer into the bullpen off a two-out, 2-2 slider. Phil Evans delivered his second rap and Joey O went deep (429' to center) to give the Bucs their first lead of the season, 3-1. Kells responded the right way, 1-2-3. Jake Stallings opened the fifth with a two-bagger, and a bounce out and walk put Bucs on the corners. That brought on Austin Gombers, who walked the bases full. A J-Bell sac fly added another tally before the fun ended. The Cards went down in order the hard way against JT Brubaker - Paul Goldschmidt singled with two gone, but was tossed out trying to stretch it by Bryan Reynolds.  Kodi Whitley retired the Pirates in order in the seventh. Brubaker again was shaky but held the fort, leaving Cardinals at first and third with one away via a fan and a fly.  Andrew Miller worked the eighth; a J-Bell walk and Phil Evans double with two away made it 5-1.  Michael Feliz authored a clean frame. Junior Fernandez  and Nick Burdi traded flawless ninths (Burdi struck out the side), and the Bucs had their first W under Derek Shelton.

Nick Burdi - 2019 Topps 35 Years

Mitch didn't have his best stuff today, but he managed to keep it together, and that's a huge step for a young pitcher. Brubaker had a wipeout if erratic slider - his three hits surrendered were rockets, but he K'ed four swinging. The Pirates finally added a little muscle to the attack with a couple of homers and a couple of doubles despite the haphazard makeup of the lineup, and so for the first time in 2020 we can say: Raise the Roger!                                                                                           

Notes:

• Phil Evans had three of the Bucs' eight hits
• Today was JT Brubaker's first MLB outing.
• Ollie Perez appeared for the Nats today. The once-long-ago Bucco officially has 18 MLB seasons now, the most ever for a Mexican-born player.
• Old Pirates farmhand Connor Joe, now in the Dodgers system, had cancer surgery five months ago; now he reports that he's cancer free. https://instagram.com/p/CDFrkpeAy2v/