Final Score: Pirates 2 White Sox 0
Why the Pirates Won: Jared Jones pitched another gem, not giving up a hit for 6 and 2/3 innings. In 7 innings, he allowed one hit, struck out 8, and walked 2. Luke Weaver pitched a clean 8th. Mason Montgomery gave up a leadoff single but no more for his 12th save. The Pirates played some nice defense. Brandon Lowe made two excellent plays in the bottom of the 9th to assist Montgomery. Oneil Cruz and Jake Mangum made two sliding catches in the outfield to help keep the no-hitter intact. Cruz provided the offense with a home run in the 4th and a big RBI single in the 8th that gave the Pirates a valuable insurance run. This was a significant win for the Pirates since the Diamondbacks and Padres had the day off. They remain 5 games back in the loss column with 15 games to go. They play their nemesis, the Cubs, next.
Key Moments of the Game: Both walks given up by Jones were leadoff walks. The first one occurred in the bottom of the 3rd, and he struck out the side after that. The second walk led off the bottom of the 4th, and that one made it to third with two outs due to a stolen base and a throwing error by Rafael Flores. Jones was able to get the batter to pop out to Brandon Lowe to end the inning. Cruz got the RBI single in the 8th off a left-hander. The two-run cushion provided a whole different perspective on the last two innings. The Pirates continue to win and make it interesting, but they still have only a 1.1% chance of making the playoffs.
Next Game: This afternoon, the Cubs in Chicago. The Pirates announced the bad news yesterday that Braxton Ashcraft will go on the IL with right arm discomfort. There is talk that he might come back for the St. Louis series, but I would assume that would happen only if the games are meaningful. The Pirates will send the youngster Wilber Dotel to the mound for his first major league start. I like the move. Give the youngster a shot in a big game. Again, for the Pirates to have any chance at all to make the playoffs, they must sweep the Cubs and hope for some big-time help. Matt Capps last night had the audacity to say that the Pirates control their own destiny. Wow. He also viewed it as a positive that the Padres and Diamondbacks finish the season against one another. That is about the worst thing that could happen. If the Pirates are two games behind both teams at that point, they are eliminated. Somebody is going to go 2-1. This is part of the reason the Pirates’ chances are so remote. Remote is still better than being eliminated. However, they are not close to controlling their own destiny. Stay tuned.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 