Final Score: Pirates 5 Marlins 2
Why The Pirates Won: The Marlins helped some by throwing the ball around. This gave the Pirates their 1st run. They had gotten 3 hits in the inning but did not score thanks to a double play. The Marlins corrected that with their wild throw. McCutchen hit a 3-run homer that gave the Pirates a 4-0 lead. The homer put him ahead of Roberto Clemente on the Pirates’ all-time home run list. Bailey Falter pitched just 5 and 1/3 innings but was solid. He gave up 1 run on 5 hits. He walked one and struck out 3. His pitch count was good at 71, but he was looking a little shaky. Don Kelly made great use of the bullpen. He brought Dennis Santana in a high-leverage situation in the 6th inning. It was proper use of the bullpen rather than just plugging guys in for certain innings. There is still a long way to go, but Kelly is managing himself into a permanent job. The bullpen shut out the Marlins the rest of the way. It was good to see the Pirates add on in the 8th. They ended the home stand at 6-3. They now go on a 7-game road trip. They face the division-leading Cubs for 4 games. Then they go against the division-leading Tigers. If this team is to be taken seriously, they need to go at least 3-4 on this trip. Will they truly ever get a consistent offense? That is the question.
The Key Moments Of The Game: This game boiled down to the top of the 5th through the top of the 6th. Falter got the first 2 outs of the 5th inning. The 2nd out was a line drive that just happened to find his glove. Then things got dicey. He gave up a single and a double to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. He walked the next batter on 5 pitches. The Pirates were only ahead 1-0 at the time. This brought catcher Agustin Ramirez to the plate. Falter fell behind Ramirez 2-0. He had thrown 6 straight balls. The next pitch was on the outside of the plate, thigh high. Ramirez ripped it 107 MPH but right to Bryan Reynolds to end the inning. In the bottom of the 5th, Ke’Bryan Hayes led off with a single. He moved to second on a weak ground ball out by IKF. Oneil Cruz walked. McCutchen smoked a 1-1 splitter on a low line drive. It just cleared the fence. This gave the Pirates a sudden 4-0 lead. Heriberto Hernandez opened the 6th by hitting a home run. Falter got the next batter to ground out. Don Kelly had seen enough. He brought in Braxton Ashcraft. He made things interesting right away with his lack of command. He gave up a walk and a single. This put runners on first and third. He got the next batter to ground out. Spencer Horwitz did not field the ball cleanly. A run scored, but there were now 2 outs and a runner on second. Ashcraft walked the next batter. This is where Kelly brought in what I consider his bullpen ace, Dennis Santana. He came through by striking out pinch hitter Kyle Stowers on 4 pitches. The Marlins never threatened after that.
The Next Game: Tonight, Cubs in Chicago. The Pirates open a 4-game series against the Cubs tonight. Andrew (No, I’m Not Related To Bailey Falter) Heaney will start for the Pirates. The Pirates catch a break that the same team won’t see the clone lefties twice in a row. Another Pirate head-scratcher putting those two back to back. The Pirates are unlikely to receive the gifts they got from the Marlins. This will be an interesting week for the Pirates. Will they continue to have some momentum, or will they lose all 7 games? Stay tuned.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 