PITTSBURGH, PA — There’s a buzz around PIttsburgh and PNC park at the moment. With the Pirates in first place in the NL Central having the second best record in baseball, as the city is excited.
The Buccos kicked off the first of a three- game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers today after extending star outfielder Bryan Reynolds to a club record 8-year $106.75M contract.
The Dodgers came into this game trying end the Pirates league-high seven-game winning streak and bring those battling Bucco’s back down to earth.
The Pirates went down early in the first with Pirates starting pitcher Johan Oviedo giving up both an unearned and earned run. The Pirates struck back quickly with a Tucupita Marcano single off of Dodgers starter Noah Synderaard followed by a stolen base and a single by first baseman Carlos Santana to bring him home.
Centerfielder Ji Hwan Bae got the third inning rolling with an infield single and stolen base. Catcher Austin Hedges was hit by a pitch and followed up with a ball ripped down the left field line by star third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes for a double plating two.
Bae was back at it starting off the bottom of the fourth with another infield hit and another stolen base. Pittsburgh came into the game second in the all of baseball in stolen bases with 27 and tacked on an additional three through the first four innings. Austin Hedges then singled and drove in the Bucco’s fourth run of the evening. After a single by Ke’Bryan Hayes and pop out by Marcano former MVP Andrew McCutchen hit a three run homerun to give the Pirates a 7-2 lead.
The Dodgers didn’t give up yet though, Chris Taylor led the fifth off with a line drive single to right field and advanced to second on a slow roller to Hayes at third. Then with one out catcher Austin Barnes slowly rolled a ball down the first baseline to advance Taylor to third who later scored on an infield single and error on shortstop Rodolfo Castro.
The Pirates chased starer Syndergaard after just four innings and had a final stat line of four innings pitched nine hits seven earned runs and two strikeouts. Victor Gonzalez relieved “Thor” in the fifth and instantly gave up a lead off double to Pirates leftfielder Jack Suwinski but managed to work out of trouble after a couple slow rollers from Connor Joe and Rodolfo Castro and a strikeout of Bae.
Oviedo found himself in trouble in the sixth after a leadoff double from rookie outfielder James Outman and a walk to Miguel Vargas. Followed by on of the Dodgers top prospects Michael Busch who collected his first hit and RBI on a single to center. Chris Taylor hit dropped a flare single into right center and loaded the bases which chases the Buc’s starter. Robert Stephenson comes into the game with one out and bases loaded with Austin Barnes up to bat. Barnes hit a sac fly to center drawing the Dodgers within two. Two down Mookie Betts at the plate two runners on and Betts get’s ahold of one. It’s high, it’s deep, it’s robbed by Jack Suwinski! The Pirates leftfielder stole the go ahead three run homerun from the former AL MVP.
Evan Phillips came in for the Dodgers in the sixth and breezes through with a one, two, three inning. Not to be outdone the Pirates bring in rookie Jose Hernandez who gotFreddie Freeman to roll over a weak ground ball to second base, then struck out pinch hitter Trayce Thompson and James Outman. The Pirates went down quietly in the seventh and turned it over the dominant backend of their bullpen, which was anything but dominant tonight.
Colin “The Holdman” Holderman came in top of the eighth and gave up a leadoff single to second baseman Miguel Vargas.A weak combacker got the lead runner and was followed up by a walk to Michael Busch. This came back to bite Holderman as Chris Taylor hits a long ball next at bat giving the Dodgers their first lead since the first inning. Holderman is able to stop the bleeding with a strikeout of Austin Barnes and a lineout from Mookie Betts.
A leadoff single by Rodolfo Castro in the bottom of the eighth gave the Pirates some hope. Ji Hwan Bae tried to play small ball and bunt the runner over only to get too much on it and get Castro thrown out at second. Mark Mathias would then pinch hit for catcher Austin Hedges and draw a walk moving the tying run to second base and go ahead run on first. Dodgers setup man Caleb Ferguson fought back and struck out Ke’Bryan Hayes who was trying to put the Buccos ahead on some big swings.Next up Tucupita Marcano was hit by a pitch loading the bases for Pittsburgh legend, Andrew McCutchen who popped out to catcher Austin Barnes to end the inning.
Duane Underwood Jr came in for the top of the ninth for the Pirates and shut the door after a couple base hits to set the Pirates up to potentially tie the game against Dodgers closer Shelby Miller. Carlos Santana leading off for Pittsburgh hits a weak comebacker to Miller for the first out. Jack Suwinski followed up by battling and working the count full only to roll one over to the second baseman. That brings up Connor Joe who going into his at bat in the ninth is 0-4 with a strikeout, Joe looking to turn his luck around quickly goes down two strikes and takes strike three looking. Just like that the Pirates seven game winning streak has come to an end.