The Pittsburgh Pirates tried to play the role of spoilers in Friday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals but failed to do so in a 7-0 defeat in Busch Stadium. Here are the takeaways and throwaways from the loss that clinches Pittsburgh’s first losing season since 2012.
Takeaways
- Tyler Glasnow turned in his best start of his career on Friday. While he did not make it into the sixth inning, he showed some improvement on his previous starts. He only gave up one hit, a home run by Jedd Gyorko in the third, and seemed to settle down as the game went on. This was a good start for Glasnow to end the season on, but he still has some aspects of his game to improve to reach his full potential.
Throwaways
- In general Glasnow’s start should be considered a success, but he was a little uneven, especially at the beginning. He walked four and hit Yadier Molina, so he did exhibit the control issues that have plagued him. Fortunately for Glasnow the Cardinals did not capitalize on his mistakes. If the Cardinals had some timely hits, this game could have got out of hand in a hurry.
- Trevor Williams had a very rough night on the mound, as he gave up four runs on just three hits in a third of an inning of work. Granted John Jaso was charged with an error earlier in the inning which ultimately extended the night for Williams, he was still touched up by the Redbirds. If there is any positives to take away from his performance, it’s that he was able to throw seven of his 10 pitches for strikes.
W – Carlos Martinez (16-9)
L – Tyler Glasnow (0-2)
Line of the Night
Tonight we’ll focus on Tyler Glasnow, who turned in the best start of his career.
Glasnow didn’t register a quality start, but he did go five innings and only allowed a home run to Jedd Gyorko. He did issue four free passes, which is something he needs to try to bring down. But his approach on Friday worked, he was able to get ground balls to induce three double plays when he had the opportunity. Overall Glasnow had an up and down rookie season but will be a top consideration for a rotation spot next year.
Up Next
The series in St. Louis continues on Saturday with a 1:05pm contest featuring Chad Kuhl (5-4, 4.25) and Michael Wacha (7-7, 4.93). Kuhl was banged around by the Chicago Cubs on September 26th, as he lasted just three innings and surrendered five runs on eight hits. Wacha was pounded in his relief appearance against the Cincinnati Reds on the same day to the tune of seven runs in just two and two thirds innings of work.
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