The Pittsburgh Pirates looked to bust out of their funk against the San Francisco Giants.
Game One: Jeff Locke (5-5, 5.92ERA) vs. Madison Bumgarner (8-2, 1.91ERA
Result: Pirates win 1-0
Winning Pitcher: Jeff Locke (6-5, 5.44ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Madison Bumgarner (8-3, 1.85ERA)
Save: Mark Melancon (20, 1.59ERA)
- What went right:
- Jeff Locke pitched like an ace on this evening. He went 6.2 innings, allowed zero runs on five hits and struck out three. Somehow this wasn’t the strangest part of the game.
- Erik Kratz homered off Madison Bumgarner for the only run of the game. It was nearly caught by Angel Pagan, but it counted all the same.
- Neftali Feliz, Tony Watson, and Mark Melancon each had scoreless appearances.
- What went wrong:
- Madison Bumgarner pitched well. He went eight innings, allowed one run on five hits and struck out eight.
- Gregory Polanco was picked off by Bumgarner
- Josh Harrison grounded into a double play.
Baseball is weird. Sometimes Erik Kratz hits a home run and Jeff Locke somehow beats Madison Bumgarner. You really can’t predict baseball.
Game Two: Wilfredo Boscan (1-0, 2.92ERA) vs. Johnny Cueto (10-1, 2.10ERA)
Result: Pirates lose 15-4
Winning Pitcher: Johnny Cueto (11-1, 2.06ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Wilfredo Boscan (1-1, 6.46ERA)
- What went right:
- Gregory Polanco had a solid game. He went 2-5 with a run scored.
- David Freese had a very good game despite the blowout loss. He went 2-5 with a home run, three RBIs and a run scored.
- Sean Rodriguez had a pinch-hit RBI double and scored a run.
- What went wrong:
- Wilfredo Boscan was awful and the game was pretty much over from the third inning onward. He went three innings, allowed seven runs on six hits and allowed two home runs.
- Angel Pagan hit a grand slam, which pretty much put the game away for the Giants.
- Erik Kratz was somehow the best pitcher on the day for the Pirates.
This game stunk and the Pirates never had a chance in this game. This was pretty much one of the most embarrassing games of the season.
Game Three: Francisco Liriano (4-7, 5.03ERA) vs. Jeff Samardzija (8-4, 3.14ERA)
Result: Pirates lose 7-6
Winning Pitcher: Derek Law (3-1, 2.49ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Jared Hughes (0-1, 4.12ERA)
Save: Santiago Casilla (15, 2.57ERA)
- What went right:
- Gregory Polanco had a big game. He went 3-5 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored.
- John Jaso lead-off the game with a solo home run.
- Jung Ho Kang continued his power surge with a solo home run.
- What went wrong:
- Francisco Liriano couldn’t hold the lead as he let the Giants chip away. He went five innings, allowed four runs on six hits and walked three.
- Jared Hughes was awful in his inning of work as he allowed three runs on four hits and the Giants took the lead for good.
- John Jaso was caught trying to steal second base to end the game when he was sent on a 3-2 count to avoid a double play but ran into one when Polanco struck out.
The Pirates had a golden opportunity to win this game in spite of their poor pitching and inconsistent defense. When you have a 6-1 lead, you should almost always win and that makes this loss inexcusable.
The Pirates looked to bounce back with Jon Niese on the mound for game four.
Game Four: Jon Niese (6-4, 4.74ERA) vs. Andrew Suarez (2-1, 3.69ERA)
Result: Pirates lose 5-3
Winning Pitcher: Andrew Suarez (3-1, 3.68ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Jon Niese (6-5, 4.93ERA)
Save: Santiago Casilla (16, 2.48ERA)
- What went right:
- Josh Harrison played very well as he went 1-4 with a triple, one RBI, and two runs scored.
- Gregory Polanco went 0-2 with two RBIs.
- Matt Joyce walked twice.
- What went wrong:
- Mac Williamson went 3-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.
- The Giants bullpen completely shut down the Pirates as George Kontos, Hunter Strickland, Cory Gearrin and Santiago Casilla each threw a scoreless inning to seal the victory.
- Pirates went 0-4 with runners in scoring position and stranded five men on base.
FINAL THOUGHTS
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