Pittsburgh Pirates Takeaways & Throwaways – JHay All The Way!

The Pirates were finally back at PNC Park on a full moon Tuesday night for the first of a three game series against the 39-51 Milwaukee Brewers. And boy was the full moon ever in effect as the Pirates won the game 3-2 on a Josh Harrison walk off little league homer in the bottom of the ninth.

Takeaways

• The first inning – any worries that the Pirates were too exhausted after the 18-inning marathon against the Nationals on Sunday to take that winning feeling back to Pittsburgh were vanquished early on. After a fairly short at-bat by the Brewers in which both Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy both singled but failed to get any runners across home plate, the Pirates came out in force getting two on the board. After Jaso grounded out, Brewers pitcher Junior Guerra walked Gregory Polanco. Andrew McCutchen then singled followed by another stroll to first – this time by Starling Marte. The newly minted 2016 Pirates Heart and Hustle award-winner David Freese singled scoring Polanco, advancing Cutch to third and Marte to second. Francisco Cervelli – fresh from a DL stint for a broken hamate bone – hit a sac fly to score Cutch. Josh Harrison grounded out to end the inning, but the message was delivered.
• The Bullpen’s “New Look” – apparently after BP today the entire bullpen staff whipped out the clippers and had a head-shaving party in the clubhouse. It’s not hard news on its own – typically something relegated to our Saturday Social Media Round-up – but the symbolic nature of this action speaks volumes. When asked why they did it by intrepid Pirates MLB writer Adam Berry, the response was they did it “as a show of unity after a dominant stretch.” It’s no secret that what was known as the Best Bullpen in Baseball for the past few seasons has been a little “off” this season. They’ve been shuffled around as much as the starting rotation – most recently with former starters Juan Nicasio and Jonathan Niese taking up bench space in the shark tank. But lately they’ve been clicking. And in a really important way. This show of unity demonstrates that Pirates spirit fans know so well. Do work, wherever you’re asked to do it, and do it well.

Throwaways

• Scary Moments – I the second, Brewers third baseman Hernan Perez’s 105-mph liner made contact with starting pitcher Jameson Taillion – who was starting his first game following a stint on the DL for arm fatigue – in the worst way, right to the side/back of the head. In that instant, pretty much all of western Pennsylvania collectively held its breath until he stood up with the help of trainers. Miraculously, Taillon went on to pitch four more innings for a total of six – holding the Brewers to 1 run.
• Errors in the infield – Early in the game Jordy Mercer missed one ball and got an out after a little league grounder between the legs turned into a review out. He redeemed himself with some excellent work as the game went on – and hit a triple that could have given the Bucs some more insurance in the seventh if someone could have gotten him home. But those errors…

BONUS: Melancon’s failure again to convert a save with one strike to go. Two games in a row now the coveted closer hasn’t done his duty. Should the Pirates be concerned? That trade value might be slipping…

W – Mark Melancon (1-1)
L – Tyler Thornburg (3-4)

Line of the Night:

Francisco Cervelli did his usual magic behind the dish, but also made things happen on it as well – he had a walk, stolen base and sac fly, which scored the second run for the Bucs. His energy was evident in the dugout and definitely a shot in the arm for the team. It should also be mentioned that he ran to Taillon as fast as anyone on the field after the rookie was hit in the head with that liner.

Next Up:
The Pirates continue their series against the Brewers at 7:05 pm at PNC Park. The Pirates’ Jeff Locke (8-5) takes on Brewers righty Chase Anderson (4-10).