The Pittsburgh Pirates blew an early lead in their second of three games against the last place Atlanta Braves tonight, losing a head-shaker 4 – 8.
The Pittsburgh Pirates tonight proved why there are 162 games of baseball played every season. Because even though the game looked like a sure lock when the Buccos took a 4-0 lead in the first inning, it didn’t turn out in any way like they planned.
Takeaways
- Early Production – The Bats got to work early for the Bucs on a long single from Gregory Polanco, who then stole second with Jung Ho Kang at bat. Starling Marte was hit by a pitch and then the birthday boy Matt Joyce stepped into the box and smacked a 3-run homer. Rookie pitcher Rob Whalen’s misery didn’t end there. After a David Freese single, he walked Jordy Mercer and Eric Fryer and threw a wild pitch scoring Freese before finally striking Jeff Locke out to end the inning. Starting the game 4-0 positioned the team nicely to take the field.
- Signs of life – Jung Ho Kang, who has been in a terrible slump since mid-June, has shown signs of life this series – with one run, one hit and one RBI in four at-bats in yesterday’s game and tonight, he had a double in four at-bats. It’s not what we were seeing last year at this time, but it’s a start.
Throwaways
- Jeff Locke – According to Joe Block, his ERA in his last eight starts is 8.44 – which pretty much sums up why he was relegated to the bullpen and rightfully so. I’ll give him his due, he can be solid through a few innings – and has been helpful out of the bullpen – but tonight should be the swan song for his time as a Pirates starter. The bats worked in the Buccos’ favor early, but Locke allowed that lead to erode to just one run by the bottom of the 4th and he totally gave it away in the 5th. That’s just not helping the team do anything but end the season in September.
- Bats Falling Asleep – While the Pirates experienced early production in this game, the bats went silent after the second inning. For a team with shaky pitching, and a bad bullpen outing for Juan Nicasio, offense has to be on every inning in order to keep a lead. They just didn’t tonight.
W – Rob Whalen (1-0)
L – Jeff Locke (8-7)
Line of the Night
The birthday boy Matty Joyce had a good night, with one run (a homer), one hit and three RBIs in three at-bats.
Next Up
The Pirates play their last ever game at Turner Field to cap off the Braves series at 7:10 p.m. The game marks the return of Ryan Vogelsong to the bump for the Bucs, his last start for the team – a spot one as he was working primarily out of the bullpen – came May 23 when he was hit in the face by a pitch and sidelined for two months. He’ll take on Tyrell Jenkins (1-2).
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