Long Balls & Sloppy Play Propel Orioles To An 11-9 Win

Today's Game: 

On the bump for the Bucs tonight against Baltimore at LECOM Park were Steven Brault, Chris Stratton, Edgar Santana, Blake Weiman, Sam Howard, Geoff Hartlieb, and David Bednar. Shelty penciled in almost everyday-type lineup with Bryan Reynolds in center (Brian Goodwin swapped with him and was in left), Erik Gonzalez at short and no rest for Fraze. 

The televised night game should have been blacked out in the first when Goodwin muffed two balls and Fraze booted another to make it 2-0 Birds. Brault gave them a third run in the second thanks to a bopped batter, wild pitch (he had two in the frame) and two-out single. Stratton replaced him and gave up a run on an excuse me infield hit and double in the third. Santana allowed another when he came in with two outs and gave up a rap that Goodwin again couldn't field cleanly (no error this time, but it conceded the run), then gave up a solo homer and double the fourth. Weiman tossed a clean fifth.

Todd Frazier - photo Pirates

 

 

 

The glow wore off; Weiman was tagged in the sixth with a bunt single, double, walk, homer and three runs to knot the score. It was unknotted after Howard gave up a two-run, two-out homer on a full count fastball in the seventh. Geoff Hartleib walked the first pair of Birds in the eighth, then served up a DP ball and K to escape. Bednar kept on, pitching a clean ninth with two whiffs.

The Bucs were resilient; in the third they cut the lead to 5-3 with some two-out lightning: Ke'Bryan Hayes doubled, Bryan Reynolds singled him home and The Toddfather went deep. The O's then put on their own fourth-inning non-clinic, committing four errors and allowing a walk, wild pitch, a sac fly, a steal and two singles to give Pittsburgh an 8-6 lead. Another Baltimore boot and two free passes led to one more Bucco score in the fifth. Then it went quiet: Pirates stranded a leadoff double in the eighth and that was the most noise they made over the final four frames, dropping an 11-9 decision. Giving up three homers and booting four plays...ugh-ly.

Notes:

• Ke'Bryan Hayes had two hits tonight and is batting .433, scoring twice and driving in a run. Todd Frazier homered and had three RBI.
  
• Steven Brault was removed early after 33 pitches due to left arm tightness, not ineffectiveness; he's considered to be day-to-day by the Pirates medicos at this time.
  
• The Birds and Bucs played a backlot B game, as JT Brubaker, Trevor Cahill, Luis Oviedo and Duane Underwood Jr. claimed the hill at Pirate City. JT worked four frames; the others each got in an inning.
  
•  The Pirates have reassigned RHP Yerry De Los Santos and LHP Blake Weiman to minor league camp.
• Baseball America's Alexis Brudnicki picked CF Anthony Alford as a potential breakout hitter for 2021, depending on health.
• Chad & Amanda Kuhl welcomed son Hudson Everett into the world today, a bit earlier than expected.
  

Tomorrow's Game:

Tyler Anderson takes on the Tigers at 1:05 at Lakeland's Joker Marchant Stadium. The game will be webcast on pirates.com and on tape delay on MLB Network Sunday morning at 8AM.