The Pirates began the biggest road trip of the season with a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Game One: Ivan Nova (8-6, 4.83ERA) vs. Ross Stripling (3-3, 3.79ERA)
Result: Pirates win 5-1
Winning Pitcher: Ivan Nova (9-6, 4.68ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Ross Stripling (3-4, 4.07ERA)
Save: Tony Watson (5, 2.76ERA)
- What went right:
- Andrew McCutchen had a fantastic game. He went 2-4 with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored. He also made a tremendous catch in the outfield.
- Jordy Mercer went 1-4 with a home run, two RBIs, and a run scored.
- David Freese went 2-4 with one RBI.
- What went wrong:
- Ivan Nova pitched mostly okay but gave up nine hits and plenty of hard contact. He is definitely thanking the baseball gods for only giving up one run.
- Howie Kendrick went 3-4.
- Joc Pederson went 2-4 with a run scored.
Game Two: Gerrit Cole (7-7, 2.94ERA) vs. Brandon McCarthy (2-2, 3.00ERA)
Result: Pirates lose 8-4
Winning Pitcher: Julio Urias (3-2, 4.41ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Gerrit Cole (7-8, 3.25ERA)
Save: Kenley Jansen (35, 1.80ERA)
- What went right:
- Jung Ho Kang reached base five times as he went 2-2 with a home run, two walks, two RBIs, one run scored, and a hit by pitch.
- Starling Marte went 2-4 with two runs scored.
- Francisco Cervelli went 3-4 with a walk.
- What went wrong:
- Gerrit Cole was pretty awful as he went 4.1 innings, allowed six runs on 12 hits and struck out only three.
- Joc Pederson was a beast all day. He went 3-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
- The Pirates as a team went 1-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded a team record 18 men on base.
Game Three: Chad Kuhl (2-0, 3.91ERA) vs. Brett Anderson (0-0, 0.00ERA)
Result: Pirates win 11-3
Winning Pitcher: Chad Kuhl (3-0, 3.73ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Brett Anderson (0-1, 45.00ERA)
- What went right:
- Sean Rodriguez had a huge game as he went 3-4 with a home run and three RBIs.
- Josh Harrison was fantastic from the leadoff spot. He went 4-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
- Chad Kuhl battled through some 2-0 counts and prevented the Dodgers from ever getting back into the game. He went six innings, allowed two runs on six hits and struck out five.
- What went wrong:
- Josh Reddick went 2-4 with a run scored.
- Joc Pederson continued his good work against the Pirates as he went 1-3 with a home run, one RBI and a run scored.
- Antonio Bastardo had a fairly poor outing. He lasted just 0.2 innings, allowed one run on one hit and a walk.
FINAL THOUGHTS
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