Winning a series via sweep is always good, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals is absolutely beautiful. The Pirates looked pretty damn good in their three games against their arch-rival in the NL Central, but you have to turn the page as the Pirates went from facing a team expecting to contend to a team most predict will be near the bottom of the standings in the Cincinnati Reds.
By all accounts, the Reds are rebuilding, but that does not mean they were without talent and you need to take them seriously. It’s a long season and the key to winning is maintaining intensity. You can’t just be locked in and focused against the Cubs and Cardinals of the world. You have to look at rebuilding teams exactly the same as you would the World Series favorites.
The Pirates looked to Francisco Liriano in game one to set the tone and start the series off on the right foot.
Game One: Francisco Liriano (1-0, 0.00ERA) vs. Alfrado Simon (0-0, 0.00ERA)
Result: Pirates win 6-5
Winning Pitcher: Ryan Vogelsong (1-0, 4.50ERA)
Losing Pitcher: J.J. Hoover (0-1, 6.75ERA)
Save: Mark Melancon (2, 2.70ERA)
- What went right:
- Starling Marte was tremendous, going 3-4 with a home run and four RBI. He also hit the go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning.
- Francisco Liriano continued his evolution as a hitter as he went 2-2 with an RBI.
- Neftali Feliz continued his good start to the season by pitching a scoreless eighth inning and striking out two batters.
- Mark Melancon had a completely clean save and looked very efficient in closing out the ballgame.
- What went wrong:
- Francisco Liriano wasn’t his best as he struggled with his control and efficiency. He went five innings, allowed three runs on five hits and walked four.
- Josh Harrison did not have a very good game, going 0-5 and stranding five men on base.
- Ryan Vogelsong didn’t have a great re-debut for the Pirates. He allowed two runs (one earned) in two innings of relief.
- The Pirates as a team played a sloppy game, committing three errors and going 2-11 with runners in scoring position.
Over the course of 162 games, there are going to be times you win when you probably should lose and this game felt like one of those instances. Liriano wasn’t at his best and the Pirates struggled big time with runners in scoring position, but that’s what make baseball such a wonderful game, you can win because of one good inning after playing eight mediocre ones.
Starling Marte played the role of hero as he hit the first grand slam home run of his career. Up to that point, the Pirates did their best to keep the game within reach and that is how they were able to comeback and win.
The Pirates won a dramatic opener and looked to their ace, Gerrit Cole making his 2016 season debut in game two.
Game Two: Gerrit Cole vs. Raisel Iglesias
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