Final Score: Pirates 6 Tigers 1
Why The Pirates Won: Spencer Horwitz’s first career grand slam led the Pirates to a 6-1 victory. It may not have won the game, but it sure made the win a heck of a lot easier. Bailey Falter threw 7 innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits. He struck out a season-high 8 batters and walked none. He threw only 87 pitches. The Pirates scored all their runs in the first 3 innings. Andrew McCutchen hit a solo home run in the first. Bryan Reynolds led off the bottom of the 3rd with a double. He moved to third on a deep fly ball to right by Nick Gonzales. Oneil Cruz hit a 363-foot fly ball to center to drive in the 6th and final run. The bullpen got a much-needed rest with Carmen Mlodzinski pitching the final two innings. The 3-game sweep came surprisingly easy for the Pirates. They looked so pathetic against the White Sox. It is hard to believe that they won these next games. They scored 17 runs in the 3 games.
The Key Moment Of The Game: The Pirates loaded the bases in the bottom of the 2nd on a single and two walks. There was one out. Isiah Kiner-Falefa struck out on 3 pitches. The last two were called strikes. It looked like the Pirates were going to blow another opportunity. Spencer Horwitz took an opening cutter for a ball. The next cutter was in the strike zone, out over the plate about thigh level. Horwitz did not miss it. He blasted it 416 feet to right-center field for his first career grand slam. It was the biggest 2-out hit the Pirates have had in the last 2 months. It blew open the game in the Pirates’ favor, 5 to 0. From that moment on, Bailey Falter was dominant, challenging the Tigers for the next 5 innings. The Tigers only had one at-bat with runners in scoring position.
Next Game: Tomorrow night, Diamondbacks in Pittsburgh. The Pirates wrap up this home stand with a weekend series against the Diamondbacks. Mike Burrows goes on Friday. The bullpen will be well-rested. Can the Pirates keep the momentum going? Probably not, but we can always hope. Let’s just hope they don’t overdo it on their day off. The trade deadline is looming. It is still a mystery what the Pirates will wind up doing. I don’t think that even they know. It could be the last few games as a Pirate for many players. We can only hope.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 