Final Score: Pirates 4 Giants 6
Why The Pirates Lost: As Forest Gump would say the Pirates lost for no particular reason. This was the type of game that good teams win, and mediocre teams lose. The Giants scored 5 or their 6 runs on hits. The Pirates scored 1 of their 4 runs on hits, and that was a home run. The Giants bullpen protected a lead, the Pirates bullpen did not. Rich Hill had the mediocre “quality” start giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, walking 2 and striking out 2, over 6 innings. Holderman and Borucki came in the game to ensure that the Giants would score three runs. There was too much made of the error in right field by Henry Davis. As the rest of the inning unfolded, the run would have scored anyway, on the two out single. It was the 2nd straight change up that Borucki threw, and it was right down the middle. Another great pitching sequence by the Pirates. It was essentially the lack of the big hit that sealed the Pirates fate, and some awful catching by our defensive, pitch framing, waste of cells Austin Hedges.
Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates had the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the 6th, trailing 3-2. A sacrifice fly, a walk, and another sacrifice fly had the Pirates up 4-3 with runners on 1st and 2nd with two out, and Nick Gonzales at the plate. On the first pitch he ripped a drive down the left field line that was not pulled enough, and Mike Yastrzemski made a nice running catch to end the threat. Holderman crapped the bed the next inning and the Pirates never really threatened again, starting the 2nd half with a typical loss.
Next Game: Tonight, Giants in Pittsburgh. Oviedo starts for the Pirates tonight, another young pitcher going in the wrong direction. In his last 3 games he has given up 14 runs. If I was Paul Skenes, I would be worried. There were many good things about the game last night for the Pirates, but winning was not one of them. Let’s see if they can check that off the list tonight.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 