The Pittsburgh Pirates did not play a very good series against the Cincinnati Reds, losing two of three to their NL Central rivals and that is something the Pirates did way too much in 2015, so it’s a trend that needs to change.
The Pirates looked to rebound against a very formidable Detroit Tigers team in a four game, home and home series.
The Pirates turned to LHP Jon Niese, looking to rebound from a fairly inconsistent first outing to kick start the series against former Cy Young winner, Justin Verlander.
Game One: Jon Niese (0-0, 7.20ERA) vs. Justin Verlander (0-0, 4.50ERA)
Result: Pirates win 7-4
Winning Pitcher: Jon Niese (1-0, 5.73ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Justin Verlander (0-1, 8.71ERA)
Save: Mark Melancon (3, 2.08ERA)
- What went right:
- The entire offense was outstanding in their approach against Verlander. They grinded out each at-bat and made the former Cy Young winner work. By the time he exited the game, he had thrown 111 pitches in 4.1 innings of work.
- Gregory Polanco was absolutely fantastic again. Going 3-5 with a RBI, two doubles and a walk.
- Jon Niese looked better and for the most part pitched a solid game. Kept a pretty good Tigers’ lineup mostly off balance. He went six innings, allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and struck out five.
- Francisco Cervelli had his second three hit game in a row. He went 3-4 with a run scored and a RBI.
- What went wrong:
- The Pirates’ base-running left something to be desired as both Matthew Joyce and Gregory Polanco were both caught stealing.
- Jordy Mercer booted a would-be double play and allowed the Tigers to score a run.
- Jordy Mercer, Matthew Joyce and Gregory Polanco all grounded into double plays.
- J.D. Martinez had a pretty nice ballgame in a losing effort for the Tigers. Going 2-4 with a home run and one RBI.
The Pirates came out and played their ideal baseball game. They battled and made Justin Verlander work for every single out. They never let Verlander settle in and get comfortable. The Pirates spend the entire offseason preaching their new organizational approach to hitting and they showed it off against the Tigers. It shows the kind of offense they can have if things go their way in 2016. Might not hit a lot of home runs, but they will annoy a lot of starting pitchers.
The Pirates turned to Juan Nicasio in game two to keep the good times rolling and to take the first two games of the home and home series.
Game Two: Juan Nicasio vs. Anibal Sanchez
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
