Final Score: Pirates 9 White Sox 3
Why The Pirates Won: The Pirate bats came alive, scoring 9 runs on 18 hits and 3 walks. They had 5 doubles and a home run by Rafael Flores Jr. They got off to a great start with the first seven batters getting on base and scoring 5 runs in the first inning. They did this against Sean Burke, who had an ERA of 3.20 going into the game. That is an ERA lower than any Pirate starter by a long way. Ashcraft has the lowest at 3.65. They scored 2 more runs in the 2nd inning, chasing Burke. Bubba Chandler knew how to pitch with that big lead, going 6 innings, giving up 2 runs, 4 hits, striking out 8, and — hold on to your hats — did not walk a batter. The bullpen gave up a run over the last 3 innings. I question using Yohan Ramirez for the 9th in such a blowout, but what the hell, no Pirate game is ever going to be perfect with Don Kelly managing. Once again, the bad news is the Pirates got no closer to the wild card. Both the Padres and Diamondbacks won with exciting one-run wins. The Diamondbacks gave up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to blow a 2-0 lead. They came back to win the game 5-3 in 11 innings. The Padres trailed the Nationals 4-1 going into the bottom of the 8th but put a 4 spot on the board to win 5-4. The Pirates are still 5.5 games out of the wild card. They did leap over both the Cardinals and the Marlins. There are 17 games left.
The Key Moments Of The Game: After scoring only 3 runs in the last 3 games getting off to such a great start was huge. Chandler challenged the White Sox hitters by pounding the zone and retired the first 12 batters he faced. I do not see how the road trip could have gotten off to a better start. It was good to see Konnor Griffin get 2 hits and a walk. Spencer Horwitz had 2 hits and 3 RBI’s. Overall, a great win. Now if the Padres and the Diamondbacks can only tank.
Next Game: Tonight, White Sox in Chicago. With only 17 games left there is no room for error. It is another bullpen game for the Pirates tonight. The bullpen games have been very successful for the Pirates. The only negative is the Pirates have a pre-game plan and will not vary from it no matter how a particular pitcher is doing. The Pirates must keep winning and hope. At least they are making it interesting. Stay tuned.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 