Final Score: Pirates 5 Brewers 4
Why The Pirates Won: The offense had its ups and downs but put 5 runs on the board. They knocked out 14 hits. They did leave 9 runners on base and struck out 16 times. All of this was just enough to edge the Brewers. Tommy Pham continued to hit. He went 2 for 4, hitting his first home run of the season. Nick Gonzales went 5 for 5, driving in 2 runs. Braxton Ashcraft did as well as any opener, going 3 innings. He gave up just one hit. He struck out 2, walking none. Hunter Stratton came in and got roughed up for 3 runs on 4 hits. In the last 4 innings, the bullpen gave up 1 run on 4 hits and a walk. The Pirates managed to control one of the hottest hitting teams in the league. It was a nice, surprising win for the Pirates.
Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates had some 2-out lightning in the 1st. Bryan Reynolds singled, and Gonzales followed with a double to make the score 1-0. In the top of the 2nd, the Pirates reverted back to their old ways. They had 1st and 3rd with no outs and couldn’t score. Pham and IKF struck out. Oneil Cruz, who continues to struggle, grounded out. If the Pirates had lost, it would have been an even bigger moment. Tommy Pham hit his 1st homer with a man on to give the Pirates a 3-0 lead in the 4th. In the bottom of the inning, the Brewers got 2 runs off Hunter Stratton. In the top of the 5th, Reynolds and Gonzales reversed themselves. Reynolds opened the inning with a double. Gonzales singled him home to make the score 4-2. The bottom of the 5th featured the play of the game for the Pirates. Stratton started off the bottom of the 5th by giving up a single and hitting a batter. Chase Shugart came in to relieve him. On a 2-2 count, Jackson Chourio hit a soft liner right to Shugart. Without hesitation, he quickly turned and fired a strike to 2nd base. This doubled off the runner on 2nd base. Without this heads-up play by Shugart, the Christian Yelich home run would have given the Brewers the lead. IKF drove in the deciding run in the top of the 6th. The bullpen protected it for 4 innings. In the bottom of the 8th, Isaac Mattson and Yelich had a classic battle. In an 11-pitch at-bat, Mattson managed to strike him out. The Pirates got two calls reversed. One was in the 8th. The other was in the 9th. These calls were the final keys to victory.
Next Game: Tonight, Brewers in Milwaukee. Well, boys and girls, the Pirates Morning Report will be going on a vacation hiatus until July 6th. Last year, I went the first 10 days in September. During that time last year, I wrote about 3 reports, giving some 3- and 4-game summaries. I admit I need a break from watching this team every day. Can this offense continue? I have my doubts, but each day they do it will prove me wrong. It would be nice to see about a two-week stretch where they average 4 to 5 runs per game. I will admit Tommy Pham has had some amazing hot streaks in his career. Could he have one more? Stay tuned.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 