Final Score: Pirates 4 Phillies 1
Why The Pirates Won: Luis Ortiz had another strong outing going 7 innings allowing no runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. Aroldis Chapman came in the 8th and struck out the side on 12 pitches. David Bednar closed the game giving up the Bryce Harper home run but not allowing anyone to reach base to give the Pirates their 6th straight win. The offense was not all that shabby either, scoring 4 runs on 10 hits, while striking out only 4 times. I hear there will be a doctor in the broadcast booth, because if the Pirates sweep the Phillies today, Greg Brown will get so excited he may need medical attention. Good God, they’ve won 6 in a row, not made the playoffs.
Key Moments Of The Game: It was all Oneil Cruz. It is not to discount Andrew McCutchen’s home run which got the ball rolling, but it was the 3 RBIs by Cruz that made the difference in this game. First, he doubled and homer off two All Star left hand pitchers. He did both with 2 out. It does not get much bigger than that. The two run home run in the bottom of the 8th put a whole different feel to the game. If Harper’s home run in the top of the ninth had made 2-1 instead of 4-1, it is hard to say what would have happened after that. There is no doubt these are two surprising wins against the Phillies.
Next Game: This afternoon, Phillies in Pittsburgh. Can the Pirates get the sweep? Marco (No I’m Not Martin Perez’s Brother) Gonzales will start, making his second start, since coming off a prolonged stint on the IL. He danced through many raindrops in the 5 innings against the White Sox. Let’s hope he can do better than his clone Perez. The Pirates have won 6 in a row. Many parts of the team are looking really good. The bad parts of the team are remaining bad. Yesterday the awfulness went 3 for 14 which is not bad for them. Obviously, the Pirates made no moves during the break. Will it catch up with them or will the magnificent 6 remain hot enough to overcome the awfulness. Only time will tell.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 