The Pittsburgh Pirates took two of three from the Reds. What went right and what went wrong in the victory?
The Pittsburgh Pirates had a great offensive series against the Colorado Rockies, sweeping an abridged three game set. The pitching is still a slight cause for concern, but it is really hard to place much stock in results in Arizona and Colorado. Two parks that are nightmares for pitchers. So hopefully a return to PNC Park was just what the doctor ordered for the Pirates struggling rotation.
The Pirates did not play well against the Cincinnati Reds in 2015 and it’s one of the things that cost the Pirates the division. The Pirates simply need to be better against the bottom of the NL Central in 2016, especially if they want to hold serve with the Chicago Cubs.
The Pirates turned to Juan Nicasio in game one, hoping to kick off their home stand with a good performance.
Game One: Juan Nicasio (2-2, 4.50ERA) vs. Dan Straily (0-0, 3.50ERA)
Result: Pirates win 4-1
Winning Pitcher: Juan Nicasio (3-2, 3.33ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Dan Straily (0-1, 3.38ERA)
Save: Mark Melancon (6, 2.70ERA)
- What went right:
- Juan Nicasio was absolutely dominant. He returned to Spring Training form as he went seven innings, allowed zero runs on three hits and struck out eight.
- Josh Harrison had a good game as he hit his first home run of the season and played some pretty solid defense at second base.
- Jordy Mercer continued his good start to the season. He went 2-3 with two runs scored.
- Matt Joyce had another pinch-hit home run as he hit a two-run shot to mostly put the game away in the seventh inning.
- What went wrong:
- John Jaso and Andrew McCutchen didn’t contribute much offensively from the one and two spot as they combined to go 0-7 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Joey Votto reached base three times as he went 2-3 with a walk.
- Gregory Polanco grounded into a double play.
- Arquimedes Caminero was not effective as he allowed one run on two hits and was only able to get two outs.
The Pirates played a mostly solid game to open the series against the Reds. It was exactly the kind of game a good team should play against a rebuilding one. It was clean and the outcome was never really in doubt.
Juan Nicasio really returned to form and showed the level of domination he did throughout Spring Training, which lead to him winning a spot in the starting rotation. It was the exact kind of start the Pirates needed to see from him.
The Pirates looked to win the series as Francisco Liriano took to the mound in game two.
Game Two: Francisco Liriano vs. Alfredo Simon
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