Final Score: Pirates 5 Dodgers 3
Why The Pirates Won: Paul Skenes shut the Dodgers down in grand style. He gave up 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 8 over 6 innings. He had only a few balls hit hard off of him. Dalton Rushing just missed hitting a home run. He raised his record to 10-9 while lowering his ERA to 1.98. Cy Young award here we come. The B squad had to get through the last 3 innings. Yohan Ramirez had one of his better outings. He went 1 and 2/3 innings, giving up 1 hit and striking out 2. Evan Zisk managed to get Ohtani to end the 8th. The ninth was shaky. Dauri (Counterfeit Money) Moreta started the inning. Mookie Betts greeted him with a home run. He struck out Freddie Freeman. He gave up 3 straight singles to make the score 5-2. Don Kelly brought in Colin (I Can’t Believe He Is Putting Me In) Holderman. On the 2nd pitch, he got Hyeseong Kim to hit a soft liner to Tommy Pham. Miguel Rojas singled to left to make the score 5-3. The Dodgers had removed catcher Dalton Rushing from the lineup for light-hitting Ben Rortvedt. Even Holderman made him look silly. He took 2 called strikes. He swung at a ball in the dirt to end the game. Right after the game, Ben Cherrington called the Dodgers about a trade. Rortvedt for Henry Davis. The B squad had barely survived. The Pirates had their sweep. The 3 AAA musketeers had an okay day. They went 3 for 11 with an RBI.
Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates made the most of their opportunities. They were 4 for 11 with runners in scoring position. The Pirates made it 1-0 in the 3rd with a single, 2 wild pitches, and a single. It was still 1-0 going into the bottom of the 5th. The Pirates started the inning with 3 straight singles to make the score 2-0. Nick Gonzales, making an aggressive move, went to 3rd on a single to left. Bryan Reynolds alertly went to 2nd on the throw. Tommy Pham struck out. Then the Dodgers made a tactical error by intentionally walking Andrew McCutchen. The intentional walk is much more controversial than it used to be. The Dodgers paid dearly for this one. Nick Yorke took the first pitch, lining it down the left field line for a double. The score was now 4-0. Canario hit a weak ground ball to 1st to drive in the 5th run. It was enough to get the sweep.
Next Game: Tonight, Brewers in Pittsburgh. Quinn Priester goes for the Brewers—another pitcher the Pirates failed to develop. I am sure he will have extra incentive tonight. Jared Triolo continues to hit; he is getting close to a promotion. If I give it to him, there will be only 2 AAA boys left. No question the Pirates are playing better. The real question is why? I hope it is not because these games are basically meaningless. If this continues, I do not think we will see any changes in the organization. Oh Lord.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 