Final Score: Pirates 5 Padres 0
Why The Pirates Won: Bailey (Just Get Me Through The First Inning) Falter survived another shaky first inning. Alexander Canario made a nice diving catch to save a run with Fernando Tatis Jr. on third base to end the 1st. From that point on, Falter and the Pirate pitching staff dominated the Padres. They gave up just 1 hit and 3 walks. They even did better than they did in the Diamondbacks game. This time they held the Padres hitless for 6 and 2/3 innings. The offense snapped out of a brief slump, scoring 5 runs on 12 hits. They scored single runs in the 1st, 4th, and 5th. They added 2 runs in the 7th. Only Canario and Davis did not get a hit. Davis did hit the ball hard but got nothing for it. He rejoined the 100 club, with his average slipping to .197. Triolo does not feel so alone now. McCutchen hit a solo home run. The Pirates did not commit an error and ran the bases well. It was a complete win. The Pirates are 3-2 on the road trip. It does not get much better than this.
Key Moments Of The Game: After the first inning, Falter pitched outstandingly. Still a little perplexed, he was taken out after 79 pitches, but maybe that is why he is successful. The Pirates never let his pitch count get too high. The Pirates, as usual, are pretty mum on the subject. There was a little concern when the Pirates scored a run in the first. They had 1st and 2nd with no outs but couldn’t score any more runs. The Pirates had 2-out lightning in the top of the 5th. Adam Frazier doubled. Ke’Bryan Hayes made rare contact with the ball and drilled a single to center to score Frazier. McCutchen hit a homer the next inning to give the Pirates a 3-0 lead. The Pirates added 2 more runs. The Padres never threatened to make a game of it.
Next Game: This afternoon, Padres in San Diego. Bailey Falter’s twin Andrew Heaney goes for the Pirates today. Can the Pirates do a 4-2 road trip? I know we will probably see the goofy Sunday lineup. Rodriguez will probably catch today, which is fine. Things that will not be fine: if they rest McCutchen. They play Triolo and Pham. Will they ever let Salak take the field again? How well is he going to do after this long of inactivity? No question it would be nice to see the Pirates do something special and win this series. Today’s starting lineup will be the first key. Remember, they have a day off tomorrow. It’s off unless they play that secret softball game.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 