Final Score: Pirates 3 Dodgers 0
Why The Pirates Won: The Dodgers became pirate-like by not cashing in on many scoring opportunities. They were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. They left 10 men on base. They had 5 hits and 6 walks but did not push a run across. The Pirate offense was not much better, but at least they did score. Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen hit solo home runs. Joey Bart, who went 3 for 3, drove in the 3rd run with a clutch 2-out double in the 6th. Jared Triolo was the only AAA player to play and went 0 for 4. It took Braxton Ashcraft 71 pitches to get through 3 innings. Somehow, he kept the Dodgers from scoring. Mike Burrows pitched the next 3 innings, giving up only 2 hits and a walk. Evan Sisk gave up a hit and a walk. Mattson and Santana pitched two perfect innings to complete the shutout.
Key Moments Of The Game: The Dodgers went down in order in the 1st, 4th, 8th, and 9th. They had plenty of traffic on the bases in the other 5 innings. By far the most bizarre was the bottom of the 2nd. Freddie Freeman singled to right on a 3-2 pitch. Ashcraft got ahead of the next hitter, Teoscar Hernandez, 1-2. He worked the count to 3-2. He walked. Ashcraft got ahead of the next hitter, Alex Call, 1-2. He walked him on a 3-2 count. The next batter was AndyPages, who brutalizes the Pirates at an 11 for 16 clip. He worked the count to 3-2. He struck out on a slider that was a foot outside. This was a huge break for the Pirates. Alex Freeland worked the count to 3-2. He took a called 3rd strike. Enrique Hernández flew out to right field to end the inning. This inning would just start the frustration for the Dodgers. Third inning, bases loaded, two outs, no runs. Fifth inning, 1st and 3rd with one out, no runs. Sixth inning, runner on 1st, one out, no runs. Seventh inning, 1st and 2nd, 2 outs, no runs. Are you sure these teams did not switch uniforms?
Next Game: Tonight Dodgers in Pittsburgh. Paul Skenes goes for the Pirates tonight. This gives some hope for a sweep of the Dodgers. The B squad in the bullpen will have to come through for that to happen. Skenes could go the 9 innings, but that’s very unlikely. Blake Snell is going for the Dodgers. That means the 3 AAA Musketeers will probably be playing. Even with Skenes, that is a lot of negatives to overcome. It will be a big surprise if the Pirates pull off the sweep.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 