Pittsburgh Pirates Series Recap – A National Nightmare

The Pittsburgh Pirates looked to come out of the All-Star Break strong against the Washington Nationals.

Game One: Francisco Liriano (5-8, 5.15ERA) vs. Stephen Strasburg (12-0, 2.62ERA)

Result: Pirates lose 5-1

Winning Pitcher: Stephen Strasburg (13-0, 2.51ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Francisco Liriano (5-9, 5.11ERA)

• What went right:
  • Francisco Liriano had a fairly solid performance. He went six innings, allowed three runs on five hits and struck out five.
  • David Freese reached base twice as he went 1-3 with a walk.
  • Jordy Mercer went 1-3 with one RBI.

• What went wrong:
  • Stephen Strasburg completely shut down the Pirates as he went eight innings, allowed one run on three hits and struck out six.
  • Michael Taylor went 1-3 with a home run, two RBIs, a run scored and a walk.
  • Neftali Feliz had a very poor outing. He allowed two runs on one hit and only recorded one out.

Game Two: Gerrit Cole (5-4, 2.77ERA) vs. Tanner Roark (8-5, 3.01ERA)

Result: Pirates lose 6-0

Winning Pitcher: Tanner Roark (9-5, 2.82ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Gerrit Cole (5-5, 3.11ERA)

• What went right:
  • Andrew McCutchen went 2-4.
  • Jon Niese pitched well in his first relief appearance as a Pirate. He went two innings, allowed zero runs on one hit and struck out one.
  • Jordy Mercer went 1-3.

• What went wrong:
  • Tanner Roark was a beast for the Nationals as he went eight innings, allowed zero runs on five hits and struck out five.
  • Stephen Drew had a fantastic game. He went 3-4 with two runs scored.
  • Pirates went 1-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded six men on base.

Game Three: Chad Kuhl (1-0, 6.08ERA) vs. Max Scherzer (10-6, 3.03ERA)

Result: Pirates win 2-1 (18 innings)

Winning Pitcher: Jon Niese (8-6, 4.89ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Oliver Perez (2-3, 4.91ERA)

• What went right:
  • Chad Kuhl pitched extremely well as he went six innings, allowed zero runs on one hit and struck out five.
  • Starling Marte was tremendous as he pretty much was the Pirates’ offense. He went 3-7 with a home run, two RBIs, a walk, and a run scored.
  • Jon Niese pitched great in relief. He went three innings, allowed zero runs on three hits, struck out two and earned the victory.

• What went wrong:
  • Mark Melancon allowed a run and blew only his second save of the season.
  • Max Scherzer pitched exceptionally well too. He went seven innings, allowed one run on six hits and struck out seven.
  • Andrew McCutchen went 0-8 with two strikeouts.

FINAL THOUGHTS