Final Score: Pirates 3 Angels 4
Why The Pirates Lost: Other than starting Carmen Mlodzinski, the Pirates did not do a lot wrong. Mlodzinski had his typical start. He threw 3 strong innings, giving up just one hit. In the last 2 innings, he gave up 3 runs on 4 hits. He brought his ERA down to a sparkling 6.95. How to turn a solid reliever into a mediocre starter 101. When will this disaster end? The offense had its moments but could not get the big hit. They were 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position. Overall, it was not a bad offensive performance. They struck out only 5 times. Matt Gorski hit a solo home run in his first major league at-bat of his career. He started at first base, but it would be nice to see him get a lot of action in left field. Oneil Cruz opened the game with a home run for the third time this year. Don’t look now, but the Pirates have a .300 hitter in Joey Bart. The brightest spot of the game was the bounce-back outing of Kyle Nicholas. He came in the 6th inning with the score tied 3-3. He pitched two innings of hitless ball with no walks and 3 strikeouts. Even though Greg Brown wouldn’t say it, I will write it: way to go, Kyle. This was by far the best loss of the season for the Pirates. They just were not destined to win this game. It’s too bad because they are headed for the big bad Dodgers.
Key Moments Of The Game: Another solid starting lineup for the Pirates. Canario in left field could be argued, but it was a lefty going. Hopefully, he will be the next player sent down to Triple-A. After Cruz’s home run in the first, the Pirates had runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. They could only manage 1 run. In the top of the third, the Pirates had runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. They were unable to score. Hayes popped out, and Alexander Canario struck out swinging at 3 balls out of the strike zone. Remember, the Mets are not stupid. The Pirates went through a stretch where 11 straight batters were retired. With one out in the top of the 9th, Adam Frazier got a gift single. The Angels botched a pop-up down the right field line. IKF struck out. Oneil Cruz rocketed a Kenley Jansen cutter at 119.6 MPH to right field. Mike Trout took only a couple of steps to his left. He made the catch that ended the game. This was a tough one.
Next Game: Tonight, Dodgers in Los Angeles. If the Pirates can salvage one of these 3 games, they would have a .500 road trip. Paul Skenes goes tonight for the Pirates. He has been solid but certainly no Cy Young so far this year. Maybe he can have his best game of the year. He probably will have to because the Dodgers are pitching Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He is 3-1 with an ERA of 0.93. One thing in the Pirates’ favor is that the Dodgers have been floundering just a bit. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games. Hopefully, the Pirates will continue to put their best players on the field. Miracles do happen.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 