The Pittsburgh Pirates fell to the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 on a walk-off triple by Jay Bruce that scored Brandon Phillips. Jeff Locke threw 6.0 good innings of work, but could not get the offense he needed to back him up.
For the second straight day, the Pittsburgh Pirates offense fell flat at Great American Ball Park as they fell to the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates again could not take advantage of key opportunities with runners on base. In total the Pirates left 14 men stranded on the day including a bases loaded situation in the first inning.
Jeff Locke started the game and pitched pretty well in his season debut. In total he went 6.0 innings giving up one run on seven hits while walking two and striking out one. Locke was the beneficiary of some great defensive plays as well as David Freese made several diving stops on the day and robbed more than one player of hits today.
For the Reds, Tim Melville was making his major league debut. The Pirates took advantage of the rookie early on in the game. Jon Jaso and Andrew McCutchen both walked to make it first and second with nobody out. However, the Pirates could not take advantage of the opportunity, however, as Freese lined out and Starling Marte struck out. Gregory Polanco drew a two out walk, but Josh Harrison finished the inning by grounding out to short stop.
This was the formula for the day as the Pirates got on base, but struggle to drive guys in when it counted. Today they left 14 runners in scoring position and only mustered one run on the day. The Pirates were one or two hits away from winning this ball game, but it was not meant to be as the Pirates just could not get it done with runners in scoring position.
The Pirates did draw first blood in the contest in the top of the second. Back-up catcher Chris Stewart stepped up with one out and drove a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall for his first home run of the season and his first as a Pirate. Stewart had not hit a home run since August of 2013 and recieved the silent treatment when he reached the Pirates dugout.
Stewart has been a solid back-up catcher for the Pirates over the last couple of seasons. Stewart is known mostly for his defense due to his .989 career fielding percentage behind the plate. However, since joining the Pirates, Stewart has broke out at the plate. He set a career high in average two seasons ago by batting .294, and added to the average total last season hitting .289.
Stewart has never been a power guy throughout his career as today's home run was only the eighth of his career. As a back-up, however, he is a very reliable guy and a great guy to have in the clubhouse. He signed a two-year extension with the Pirates during the off-season and will continue to be that reliable guy behind the plate whenever the opportunity presents himself.
The Reds responded in the bottom of the sixth as Eugenio Suarez hit his fourth home run of the season tying the game at one. Suarez has been hitting the ball well this season as he currently has a .368 average with four home runs and eight RBI in six game played. He was one of the key players for the Reds this weekend against the Pirates going 6 for 11 with two home runs and four RBI.
The game would remained tied at one as Locke exited the game and it was turned over to the Pirates bullpen. Neftali Feliz was first out of the pen and, as he has done all year, threw a perfect inning of work while striking out one batter. Feliz has been a great pickup for the Pirates so far on the young season. He has been a key cog in this bullpen that has given up very few runs this season.
Tony Watson pitched the eighth giving up only one hit in his 1.0 inning of work. Watson has given up some hits this season, but has been able to work out of tough situations and keep the opposing team off of the board. Feliz, Watson, and Mark Melancon have done a nice job early on coming out of the bullpen and shutting the door for the Pirates. If they can continue to do that throughout the season, the Pirates will be in very good shape moving forward.
Arquimedes Caminero came into pitch the ninth inning for the Pirates with the score tied at 1-1. Brandon Phillips, another Pirate killer this series, started things off with a lead-off single on a 0-2 pitch to set-up shop for the Reds. Devin Mesoraco was next and he popped up on a 2-0 pitch to Josh Harrison for the first out.
Then, Jay Bruce stepped up with Phillips on first and one out. On the day, Bruce was 1 for 3 to this point and had been held at bay. Caminero had him down in the count 2-2, but Bruce took the next pitch and lined it down the right field line and into the corner. Phillips was able to score from first base and give the Reds the walk-off win.
With the loss, the Pirates drop this series against the Reds losing two out of three games. The Reds owned the Pirates last season, especially at Great American Ball Park where the Pirates were 4-6 last season. Moving forward, the Pirates have to find a way to win these division games so they can take the next step and possibly win the division in 2016.
The Pirates return to the field tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan to take on the Detroit Tigers. With the postponement today, the Tigers will have Justin Verlander (0-0 4.50) on the mound. Last time out against the Miami Marlins, Verlander went 6.0 innings giving up three runs on three hits while walking two and striking out five. The Pirates will oppose with left-hander Jon Niese (0-0 7.20). Niese struggled last time out against the St. Louis Cardinals throwing 5.0 innings giving up five runs, four earned, on five hits while striking out seven and walking one. First pitch from Comerica Park is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment