Game Two: Gerrit Cole (0-0, 0.00ERA) vs. Raisel Iglesias (0-0, 3.00ERA)
Result: Pirates lose 5-1
Winning Pitcher: Raisel Iglesias (1-0, 2.31ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Gerrit Cole (0-1, 5.79ERA)
- What went right:
- John Jaso really looked good from the lead-off spot as he went 2-5 and put together several very quality at-bats.
- Arquimedes Caminero was good in relief as he pitched 1.1 scoreless innings of relief, allowing one hit and striking out one.
- Starling Marte showed off his arm, throwing out Joey Votto at third base. It boggles my mind that people continue to run on Marte, given his reputation of being a plus-defender.
- Francisco Cervelli had a good game, going 3-3 with a walk and he threw out Scott Schebler trying to steal second base.
- What went wrong:
- David Freese did not have a particularly strong game, going 0-4 with three strikeouts and leaving three runners on base.
- Jordy Mercer did not have a good offensive game. Going 0-4 and stranding seven runners on base.
- Kyle Lobstein had a very poor outing, allowing two runs on two hits in two innings of work. He basically allowed the Reds to put the game away.
- For the second straight game, the Pirates were bad with runners in scoring position as they went 2-10 and left nine men on base.
The Pirates had plenty of opportunities this game, but weren’t able to capitalize unfortunately as they wasted plenty of chances to drive in runs.
Gerrit Cole also wasn’t sharp in his 2016 debut and I imagine he will have better starts this year. Cole has struggled against the Reds in his career and for whatever reason it continued this game. Even aces aren’t above struggling against specific teams as annoying as that can be.
As shocking as it sounds, the Pirates were never going to go 162-0 and they will lose frustrating games over the course of a long season. The key is to remember to stay calm and wash the loss away and get ready for the next game.
The Pirates looked to “Mr. Popular” Jeff Locke in game three with the series on the line.
Game Three: Jeff Locke vs. Tim Melville
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