Pittsburgh Pirates Series Recap – A Late Night Split

The Pirates began a west coast road trip with a two-game series vs. the Mariners.

Game One: Jon Niese (6-5, 4.93ERA) vs. Hisashi Iwakuma (6-6, 4.45ERA

Result: Pirates lose 5-2

Winning Pitcher: Hisashi Iwakuma (7-6, 4.34ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Jon Niese (6-6, 5.07ERA)

Save: Steve Cishek (18, 2.55ERA)

• What went right:
  • Gregory Polanco had a very good game as he went 2-3, with a walk and a run scored.
  • Arquimedes Caminero pitched very well due to great control and as a result, he threw 2.1 innings, allowed zero runs on three hits.
  • Starling Marte showed off his speed as he roped a triple. He finished 1-4 with one RBI and a run scored.

• What went wrong:
  • Hisashi Iwakuma pitched well for the Mariners as he went 6.2 innings, allowed two runs on six hits and struck out four.
  • Robinson Cano was a force all night. He went 3-4 with one RBI and two runs scored.
  • Nelson Cruz showed off his power with a towering home run.

Game Two: Jameson Taillon (1-1, 4.50ERA) vs. Wade Miley (6-3, 5.28ERA)

Result: Pirates win 8-1

Winning Pitcher: Jameson Taillon (2-1, 3.86ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Wade Miley (6-4, 5.58ERA)

• What went right:
  • Jameson Taillon had a very good bounce back start. He went six innings, allowed one run on six hits and struck out six.
  • David Freese kicked the scoring off with an opposite field solo home run and finished 2-5 with one RBI and two runs scored.
  • Sean Rodriguez had a huge game as he went 2-3 with four RBIs, two runs scored, and a walk.

• What went wrong:
  • Robinson Cano continued his excellent season with another multi-hit effort as he went 2-4.
  • Andrew McCutchen went 0-5 with a strikeout and didn’t contribute much to the game offensively.
  • Erik Kratz also went 0-5 and was especially poor with men on base as stranded six men.

FINAL THOUGHTS