The Pirates visited Arlington to take on the Rangers and former long time coach, Jeff Banister for the first since he took over as Rangers’ manager in 2015.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been playing some very good baseball lately and have quietly gotten back into the NL Central race. The team entered the series against the Rangers with wins in eight of their last 10 ball games and for the most part, they have been very solid victories. The team visited an old friend in Jeff Banister as this is the first time they have seen him since he took over as Rangers’ manager before the 2015 season.
The team turned to Jon Niese looking to get the series started off right in game one.
Game One: Jon Niese (4-2, 4.75ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (5-0, 2.83ERA)
Result: Pirates win 9-1
Winning Pitcher: Jon Niese (5-2, 4.42ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Cole Hamels (5-1, 3.34ERA)
- What went right:
- Jon Niese had a very good start and kept a very good Rangers line-up off balance all night. He went six innings, allowed one run on seven hits and struck out two.
- Starling Marte had a big game as he went 3-4 with a home run, a RBI and two runs scored.
- Jung Ho Kang continued his hot return to the lineup as he went 2-5 with a home run, three RBIs and a run scored.
- Sean Rodriguez went 1-3 with one RBI and two walks.
- What went wrong:
- Adrian Beltre went 2-4 with a home run and one RBI.
- Nomar Mazara went 2-4.
- Francisco Cervelli did not have a very strong game as his slump continues. He went 0-5, grounded into a double play and allowed a stolen base.
- Bobby Wilson went 2-4.
The Pirates came out and played a very good baseball game. They hit well, pitched well and most importantly won the game. Always important to take game one of a road series and they looked to continue their success when a certain Rangers’ ace returned to the mound.
Game Two: Juan Nicasio vs. Yu Darvish
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