Pittsburgh Pirates Takeaways & Throwaways – Blanked by the Friars

The Pittsburgh Pirates were blanked by the San Diego Padres, suffering a 4-0 defeat on Wednesday. Here are the takeaways and throwaways from the shutout loss.

Takeaways

• Ryan Vogelsong turned in another very good pitching performance for the second start in a row. He pitched six innings and gave up two runs (both unearned) on three hits and one walk. He also struck out five to lower his season ERA to 2.67. Unfortunately Vogelsong’s night was affected by a couple of errors (one committed by the pitcher) but overall it was a very good start for Vogelsong.

Throwaways

• Two errors by the Pirates in the second inning had the team trying to play catch up early in the game. A throwing error by Vogelsong allowed Jabari Blash to score and then a few plays later Jung ho Kang also committed an error to allow another run to score, this time by Christian Bethancourt. One error in an inning is bad, but two errors in the same inning (especially early in the game) is entirely unacceptable.
• Francisco Cervelli exited the game in the fifth inning due to discomfort in his left wrist. This is starting to become a pattern with Cervelli, as he has continued to be prone to injuries after he signed his extension with the Pirates. One has to wonder if the money would have been better spent on a player that can stay on the field more than Cervelli. The catching depth of the Pirates took a hit after Reese McGuire was traded to the Blue Jays, so Cervelli’s injury history is more than just concerning.
• In the eighth, while the Pirates were not paying attention, Travis Jankowski stole his first base of the season. This usually isn’t something to write about, except Jankowski stole home and gave the Padres a fourth run. This is inexcusable for any team, but especially for a team that is trying to claw their way back into a playoff spot.

W – Edwin Jackson (3-2)

L – Ryan Vogelsong (1-2)

Line of the Night

Unfortunately tonight we will focus on Edwin Jackson’s performance, as he pitched a wonderful game on Wednesday.

Jackson threw 103 pitches over seven innings and didn’t allow a run. He gave up just two hits and three walks while striking out seven. It was an impressive performance from a pitcher that has bounced between teams in recent years and at least on Wednesday he showed that he can continue to get batters out.

Up Next

The series continues on Thursday at 12:35pm when Christian Friedrich (4-7, 4.76) faces off against Jameson Taillon (2-2, 3.29). In his last start Friedrich gave up four runs on five hits while striking out four, but ultimately was handed his seventh loss of the season. Taillon on the other hand was very good in his last start, limiting the Reds to just one run on six hits and one walk over six innings to go along with six strikeouts. Taillon will look to have a fourth consecutive start of at least six strikeouts when he takes on the Friars.