Today's Game: Well, how about that? It took Tyler Anderson seven pitches to author a 1-2-3 opening frame, quite the opposite from yesterday's clock-eater. Bryan Reynolds broke up thoughts of Joe Musgrove back-to-back no-no's when he dropped a two-out single into left. Then Big Joe and Colin Moran battled; Joe finally K'ed him on a borderline back door cutter after 11 pitches. The Padres drew an opening walk in the second and a two-out single created some traffic but no damage. And yay for cage work; Gregory clobbered a ball into the right field stands with an out to make it 1-0. A two-out walk turned the order over. Musgrove started the third with an infield rap, but a 6-4-3 DP and fly made for a calm inning. Adam Frazier got it going with a two-bagger but never moved beyond second. The Friars returned the favor in the fourth, stranding their own leadoff double. Pittsburgh put runners on the corners after a walk and Polanco single off a glove, but the bottom off the order couldn't lift a ball out of the infield.
San Diego started with a knock in the fifth, but nothing came of it. Pierce Johnson took the bump as the Bucs did a pro job of running Big Joe's pitch count to 81. Fraze doubled at the bell, and it paid off when Redbeard singled him home with two outs to make it 2-0. A walk led off the Padre sixth - five of six leadoff hitters reached for SD so far - and after a tapper moved the runner up, Duane Underwood was waved in with Anderson at 86 pitches. He gave up a single to cut the edge to a run, and a steal followed, but he K'ed his way back to the dugout. Tim Hill took over and walked Gregory before the bottom of the order did its thing (a K and two comebackers). Underwood gave up a one-out walk in the seventh, quickly mopped up by an around-the-horn DP. Keone Kela (no, he didn't get a vid tribute) scaled the hill. A walk and wild pitch sent Phil Evans to second, where he died.
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| Who had Tyler Anderson (1-2/4.02) as the Bucs April ace? - photo Pirates |
Sam Howard worked the eighth cleanly. After a lineout, Austin Adams walked El Coffee, gave up a single to Dustin Fowler and plunked Michael Perez to jam the bases with an out. Erik Gonzalez (in the game as part of a double switch) dropped a flare into right to plate Gregory, and Fraze's rap sent two more Buccos home. With two down, Dan Altavilla (of Elizabeth Forward HS) got the ball and finished the frame, with Pittsburgh up 5-1. Chris Stratton toed the slab in the ninth, and a fly, single and another DP put it on ice. Raise it!
Tyler Anderson & the bullpen were strong, the Buc batters were patient, even if it took them awhile to crack it open, and the infield turned three more DPs. Nothin' like following an ugly win with a beauty.
Notes:
- Fraze had three hits (two doubles) w/two RBI and a run. Gregory added a homer and single along with two walks, a stolen base, two runs scored and a run chased home.
- The Pirates were 1-for-11 with RISP until the eight, when they broke it open. They ended up 3-of-15 with 10 stranded runners.
- There were 5,228 fans at the ballyard tonight.
Tomorrow's Game: The four-game series ends with a 12:35 getaway day match between Mitch Keller and Chris Paddack that will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. Pittsburgh then begins a nine-game road trip with visits to Milwaukee, Detroit and Minnesota.
Hoo boy, if Polanco can actually stay on the field and keep hitting...well, it would cure a lot of things that ail this team. At this point I think he basically is what he is, but that's okay if he can actually do what he is capable of doing. In other words I'll take .250 with 25 HR and a few steals from him. Mind you, if he is hitting anywhere close to that kind of production, he'll probably be dealt, though his contract is expensive even if he is firing on all cylinders. But given his penchant for injuries, I would think the suits would deal him if they got much of anything in return.
ReplyDeleteI can't see them moving him, Will, at least until the deadline. They have no OF depth to start with, they'd have to eat most of his contract and his arm is still shot; I don't know if it will ever come back. But yah, the Pirates could use an offensive shot in the arm from an outfielder to lengthen their order, so a return to the norm at bat would be a boost.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that hurts the team is the loss of development time because of the minor league shutdown last year; scrimmages can't replace game experience. We have a couple of IF's that could have used a 2020 MiLB campaign, ditto for the OF, and it's painfully limiting to a retooling team.