Final Score: Pirates 2 Marlins 3
Why The Pirates Lost: Back in the 70’s, the Pirate offense was referred to as the Lumber Company. Welcome to the new version, the Slumber Company. Even during this modest 4-game winning streak, they did not do much unless the other team helped them out. This offense is mind-boggling. At one point last night, with the exception of 2 walks, they went 18 batters without getting a hit. Why anybody would walk a Pirate batter is beyond me. Henry Davis continues to be a mystery. Just when you think he might have found something, he has a game like last night. He hit one ball fairly hard but was caught in left field. He struck out and popped up into a force play. Then, with a chance to drive in the tying run in the bottom of the 9th, he failed miserably. With 2nd and 3rd and one out, he hit a 198-foot pop-up. Mitch Keller continues to get no run support. He pitched okay. He went 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits. He struck out 4 and walked none. He had the so-called quality start. Again, he had trouble getting the 3rd out.
The Key Moments Of The Game: Keller started out the 3rd inning by giving up a single and a home run to give the Marlins a 2-0 lead. These things happen. The top of the 4th opened with a single by Otto Lopez. It only took Keller 4 pitches to get the next 2 outs. He wild-pitched the runner to second base. On the next pitch, Eric Wagaman drove it to centerfield for a single. This drove in the run to make it 3-0. It was essentially the difference in the game. Ke’Bryan Hayes opened the bottom of the 8th by shockingly hitting his 2nd homer of the season. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a sharp ground ball. The third baseman made a very nice play to record the first out of the inning. It turned out to be significant. Oneil Cruz woke up from his 7 and 3/4 game nap. He hit his 13th home run. In his previous 34 plate appearances, he had 6 walks and 14 strikeouts. He had only put the ball in play 14 times. He had one extra-base hit. The Pirates had 2nd and 3rd with one out in the bottom of the 9th, but as we know, they failed to score. The Marlins were not all that helpful last night.
The Next Game: This afternoon, Marlins in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, this is the rubber match of the series. It is a big one. A 6-3 home stand sounds much better than 5-4. The Pirates are headed for a very tough 7-game road trip. Another reason why a win would be big for this team. Bailey (It’s Not My) Falter goes for the Pirates. He did not have the greatest outing last time. He usually bounces back from them. The real question will be, can the slumber company wake up to score more than 2 runs? The game is in the afternoon. Let’s hope it’s over before their bedtime.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 