Final Score: Pirates 8 Red Sox 4
Why The Pirates Won: The bats continue to look better, scoring 8 runs on just 9 hits. Brandon Lowe hit a big 3-run homer in the bottom of the 5th with two outs to give the Pirates a 7-2 lead. Rafael Flores Jr. continued to swing a hot bat, going 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Bubba Chandler pitched a very strong 4 innings, but the walk problem appeared in the top of the 5th, allowing the Red Sox to cut the lead to 4-2. Chandler went five innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 5. The bullpen wound up surrendering the final 2 runs but did not do a bad job overall. The ninth was a little interesting as Kirby Yates gave up 3 straight singles after two were out. Mason Montgomery was called in to get the final out. All in all, it was a good start to the homestand. The Pirates have a big two-game win streak.
Key Moments of the Game: With the score 1-0, the Pirates opened the bottom of the 4th with a single, double, and double to take a 3-0 lead. Esmerlyn Valdez looks like he is getting his stroke back, hitting that 2nd double and driving in 2 runs. One out later, Rafael Flores singled Valdez home, and the Pirates had a 4-0 lead. Chandler could not stand prosperity and walked the first two batters in the top of the fifth, which helped cut the Pirate lead in half. Then Lowe hit the big homer in the bottom of the inning, and the Pirates had a nice cushion to work with. The closest the Red Sox would get was 7-3 in the 6th and 8-4 in the 9th. The Pirates have a chance to win their first series after 7 series losses in a row.
Next Game: Tonight, Red Sox in Pittsburgh. The game is on Fox tonight so will not be starting until 7:15. Sonny Gray is going for the Red Sox tonight. He is having a great season with a 14-3 record and ERA of 2.79. The Pirates were able to beat the Red Sox’s left handers last night. They will need to do the same against the Red Sox ace. Jared Jones will go for the Pirates coming off a very poor outing. The Pirates have to go on a roll right now. Nothing else will suffice. They really have to win every game of this home stand if they are going to have any chance at all to get back in the playoff race. Stay tuned.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 