Final Score: Pirates 5 Nationals 1
Why The Pirates Won: Bubba Chandler had an excellent bounce-back outing. He went 6 innings, giving up 1 run and 2 hits. He struck out 7 and walked none. He threw 81 pitches to get the job done. The bullpen of Carmen Mlodzinski and Dennis Santana was just as dominant, giving up 1 hit and a walk. Together, they threw 43 pitches. It was an efficient day for the Pirates’ staff. All 3 hits were singles. The Nationals only had 4 at-bats with runners in scoring position. The Pirate offense finally woke up after 7 innings. The AAA boys had a decent game. They went 3 for 11. Jared Triolo hit a home run in the top of the 9th to put a little icing on the cake.
The Key Moments Of The Game: For 7 innings, even this pitching performance looked like it might not be enough. The pathetic Pirate offense only had 3 hits and was being shut out up to this point. The Nationals decided to help the Pirates out in the top of the 8th. They walked two of the first three batters in the inning. Bryan Reynolds hit a sharp ground ball up the middle that deflected off the pitcher toward the 3rd base line. This loaded the bases with one out. Nick Gonzales popped out. It looked like the Pirates were going to blow another opportunity. Andrew McCutchen hit a perfectly placed 89 MPH line drive to right field for a single. This gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead. The Nationals walked Oneil Cruz on 4 pitches, no less, to reload the bases. Jackson Rutledge was brought in to face Nick Yorke. Yorke took a 1-2 high outside sinker and drove it to right field for a base hit. What a novel idea. Two Pirate batters in a row went with the pitch and took it to right field. It resulted in 4 runs. I hope the I pads were working. With the way the Pirates were pitching, that was more than enough to snap the 7-game losing streak.
Next Game: This morning, Nationals in Washington D.C. That’s right, game time is 11:35 AM. Mike Burrows is going for the Pirates today. Can these Pirates win a series on the road? Will Cam Devanney ever put a ball in play again? Will he get the opportunity to do it? Will Oneil Cruz’s batting average finally dip below .200? What will the Sunday lineup look like? Will Burrows be allowed to throw more than 60 pitches? Will Colin Holderman pitch an inning where he does not give up a hit or a walk? There are so many reasons to watch these Pirates. The suspense is killing me.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 