The Pittsburgh Pirates found themselves in a unique situation towards the end of their 2-1 series win over the Arizona Diamondbacks
The Pittsburgh Pirates did not play a very good series against the Padres as they lost two out of three and for the most part this team is still struggling to figure out its identity. For most of the last three seasons, the Pirates were built on good starting pitching and just enough offense, but that is completely flipped around this season as the offense may be elite, but the pitching has really let this team down.
The Pirates’ pitching didn’t get a break in this series as Chase Field is obviously one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the majors, so it was going to be a battle of offenses in Arizona, which is a battle the Pirates should be fairly comfortable fighting.
The series started off with Jon Niese looking to build off his last solid outing as #LateNightBUCN continued.
Game One: Jon Niese (2-0, 3.50ERA) vs. Patrick Corbin (1-1, 2.75ERA)
Result: Pirates win 8-7
Winning Pitcher: Jon Niese (3-0, 4.24ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Patrick Corbin (1-2, 3.51ERA)
Save: Mark Melancon (4, 1.17ERA)
- What went right:
- Jordy Mercer was a force at the top of the lineup, going 3-4 with a home run, one RBI and two runs scored. He continues to mash left handed pitching.
- Josh Harrison continued his hot streak, going 3-4 with one RBI and two runs scored.
- Sean Rodriguez hit another mammoth home run and played his usual stellar defense. He went 2-4 with three RBI and a run scored.
- Offense cashed in on nearly all of their chances, going 5-8 with runners in scoring position, while scoring eight runs on 13 hits.
- What went wrong:
- Jean Segura continued to be a Pirate-killer, going 3-5 with one RBI.
- Wellington Castillo had a huge game, going 2-5 with two home runs and two RBI.
- Jon Niese did not have a terrible game, but he didn’t have a very strong outing, going 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits and walking two.
- Francisco Cervelli and Starling Marte both grounded into double plays.
The Pirates pitching was fairly mediocre in this game, but the offense bailed them out as they held on for a dramatic 8-7 victory to start the series off right.
One thing to remember is a win is a win and while the pitching needs to be better for the Pirates to really contend, you can still enjoy games like this one every now and then.
The Pirates started the series off on the right foot and looked to Juan Nicasio to clinch a series victory in game two.
Game Two: Juan Nicasio vs. Rubby De La Rosa
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