The Pittsburgh Pirates won the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but it was far from perfectly played baseball as the bullpen continued to be a cause for concern for the ball club.
The wild and crazy game three of the Diamondbacks series was honestly a microcosm of the season so far for the Pirates. The offense did some amazing things, but pitching kept letting them down and it took some great at-bats to bail the team out and walk away with a victory.
A trip to Coors Field is not a recipe for success for struggling pitching staff looking to improve, but at the end of the day, you have to play the schedule in front of you and there are no excuses.
The Pirates looked to start the series off on a good note and hopefully get the bullpen some rest with Jeff Locke on the mound taking on Chad Bettis.
Game One: Jeff Locke (0-2 7.24ERA) vs. Chad Bettis (2-0, 3.33ERA
Result: Pirates win 6-1
Winning Pitcher: Jeff Locke (1-2, 5.03ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Chad Bettis (2-1, 3.77ERA)
Save: A.J. Schugel (1, 4.50ERA)
- What went right:
- Jeff Locke had easily the best start of his season so far. He went six innings, allowed zero runs on five hits and struck out eight. It was exactly the kind of start he and the Pirates needed.
- Matt Joyce had a really big game in relief of Andrew McCutchen. He went 2-5 with a home run, three RBI, and a run scored.
- A.J. Schugel helped save a very taxed bullpen by earning the first save of his career. He went 2.1 innings, allowed zero runs on two hits.
- Gregory Polanco was very good again, which is becoming the norm. He went 2-4 with two runs scored.
- What went wrong:
- Gerardo Parra was good from the lead-off spot. He went 2-5 with one RBI.
- DJ LeMahieu scored the only run for the Rockies. He went 2-4 with a run scored.
- Rob Scahill was not particularly strong, as he lated only 0.2 innings and allowed one run on two hits.
- John Jaso grounded into a double play.
Raise your hand if you had Jeff Locke throwing six shutout innings against the Rockies in Coors Field. Locke gave the Pirates exactly what they needed following the wild game in Arizona. His performance lead to the bullpen getting mostly a much needed night of rest.
Baseball is a funny game, I am sure most people predicted disaster for Jeff Locke in Colorado, but the game will always surprise you. Locke was very good and the offense did what it has done most of the season so far and that’s score runs by grinding out at-bats and being relentless.
The Pirates got to a good start in Coors Field and looked to their ace to keep the good times rolling.
Game Two: Gerrit Cole vs. Jorge De La Rosa
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