Final Score: Pirates 9 Twins 3
Why the Pirates Won: The Pirate offense put up 9 runs in the first 5 innings and this time did not let the Twins come back. The Pirates hit two home runs, one by Ryan O’Hearn in his first at-bat coming off the IL, and Nick Gonzales hit his first home run of the season with a man on. Braxton Ashcraft and the bullpen did not let the Twins off the mat. Ashcraft went 6 innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out a career-high 11 batters while walking no one. Cam Sanders pitched a clean 7th inning. Brandon Bidois pitched the final 2 innings, giving up a solo home run in the top of the 9th but did not allow a batter to reach base. Meanwhile, the Pirate offense scored 9 runs on 8 hits and 5 walks. They took advantage of a catcher’s interference for the 2nd day in a row. It was a nice way to wrap up the homestand, going 5-2 for the week. The Pirates are in 4th place but are only a half game out of 2nd.
Key Moments Of The Game: The Pirates got off to a good start with the O’Hearn and Gonzales home runs to go out in front 4-0. In the bottom of the 5th, a Spencer Horwitz double and a Brandon Lowe single netted another run. Then the walks started, one to Bryan Reynolds. The Shadow then brought in newcomer Mike Paredes with runners on 1st and 2nd. He promptly threw 8 straight balls to make the score 6-0. Jake Mangum hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-0. With Jared Triolo at the plate, catcher interference was called to reload the bases. Henry (You Know It’s The Pirates Day When This Happens) Davis lined a single to left to score 2 more, and it was 9-0. You noticed that Joe Block did not say that this game was over, even though he should have. The Twins never really made a game of it after that, and the Pirates had the series sweep.
Next Game: Tomorrow, the Astros, in Houston. The Pirates’ next 12 games will be interesting. It starts with 3 games in Houston against an Astros team that is 27-34. This is an excellent opportunity to stay hot. Next, they go up against the two best teams in the National League, the Braves in Atlanta, and the Dodgers come to Pittsburgh. They finish this 12-game stretch at home against the Miami Marlins with a record of 26-34. Can the Pirates hold their own against the elite and take advantage of the weaker teams? An 8-4 run here would be wonderful, but 7-5 would be more than acceptable. Tomorrow, the 60-game report. We will see how the Pirates are doing compared with the rest of the league and what the future might hold.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 