The Pittsburgh Pirates gave up a touchdown and a two-point conversion in an 8-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds Sunday afternoon at PNC Park. Here are the takeaways and throwaways from the contest.
Takeaways
- King Kang-Third baseman Jung Ho Kang continued his torrid hitting pace after returning from the disabled list with a 2-for-3 day at the plate. The second-year player improved his average to .267 for the season.
- The Bullpen- Tyler Glasnow allowed only two runs in his three-plus innings of work, while Jared Hughes came in and shut the Reds down with the bases loaded to get the Pirates out of a jam in the 8th inning. Hughes managed a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the Pirates.
- Football- The Steelers begin their season Monday.
Throwaways
- Outfield Defense- The Reds scored five runs in their half of the second inning thanks in large part to balls getting behind the outfielders. Center fielder Andrew McCutchen had a ball hit by Brandon Phillips squirt through his legs on a hit that should have been held to a single, but Phillips wound up on third. Also in the second inning, Tyler Holt hit a line drive to right center, however, a diving McCutchen had the ball go underneath his glove and roll to the wall for a triple. Right fielder Josh Bell got into the action as well dropping a catchable ball early in the game.
- Struggling Starters- Once again, the starting pitcher for the Pirates lasted only four innings. The culprit this time was veteran Ryan Vogelsong. While Vogelsong didn’t get much help from his outfield in a five run second inning, he still gave up six runs on seven hits.
- Frustrations Mounting- Gregory Polanco’s frustrations got the best of the right fielder today as he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the top of the fourth inning. The ejection was the first for Polanco in his career.
W – Brandon Finnegan (9-10)
L – Ryan Vogelsong (3-5)
Line of the Night
Tonight we will focus on runners left on base.
Sunday afternoon, the Pirates struggled with runners on base to the tune of leaving 28 on the base paths throughout the course of the game. For the four-game series, the Pirates left a total of 94 runners on base. In the four games against the Reds, the Pirates managed only a single victory and that came in the first game on Thursday.
Player Of The Game
Hop on over to our twitter feed to cast your vote for tonight’s Player Of The Game!
The Pirates fall to the Reds 8-0. Who is your player of the game?
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) September 11, 2016
Up Next
The Pirates have a short trip across the state to take on the Philadelphia Phillies beginning Monday night at 7:05 PM. Gerrit Cole takes the mound for the Pirates in game one of the four-game series. Cole enters the match-up with a 7-9 record and a 3.55 ERA. For the Phillies, Jeremy Hellickson will take the mound with a 10-9 record and a 3.90 ERA. Monday’s game is the first of an 11-game road trip for the Pirates.
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