After starting the series with a big win, the Pittsburgh Pirates dropped the next three games, including Thursday’s 4-3 loss. Here are the takeaways and throwaways from a game that saw the Pirates lose multiple players to injury.
Takeaways
- It seems like every night Matt Joyce‘s name appears in the thumbs up section of this column, but he has been hitting great lately. On Wednesday he came off the bench and delivered a single that scored the team’s only runs, then on Thursday he collected two more RBIs with a double.
- Juan Nicasio had a much better outing this time around, as he went six innings and only allowed three runs. He threw a lot of pitches early on which limited how many innings he would have ultimately went anyway, but it was probably better to get him out of the game before the wheels had a chance to come off.
- In a game that saw multiple players leave the game due to injury, John Jaso was summoned off the bench and slapped a run scoring single to tie the game. Not only did he get the hit that drove in the tying run, but he did it with two strikes, showcasing the type of patient hitter he can be.
Throwaways
- For the second night in a row, the opposing starting pitcher took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, with Chen even reaching the seventh on Thursday before getting pulled. In the last three games, the Pirates did not score their first run until the ninth inning on Tuesday, and it took until the seventh on Wednesday and Thursday before they were able to score. So while they eventually collected some hits and got on the board, they were always chasing the Marlins.
UPDATE: Andrew McCutchen was removed from the game due to right thumb discomfort.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 3, 2016
- There will probably be more information available on the injuries suffered by Francisco Cervelli (foot) and Andrew McCutchen (hand) tomorrow, but obviously the loss of either would strike a blow to a team that has been struggling in recent days. The options at Indianapolis are not good with Elias Diaz out, so hopefully Cervelli only misses a minimal amount of time. The potential loss of McCutchen is an even worse scenario to consider.
Jordy Mercer left tonight's game due to left elbow…yes, discomfort.
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) June 3, 2016
- It’s also worth keeping an eye on David Freese and Jordy Mercer, as both were hit by pitches and eventually left the game as a part of a double switch in the eight and ninth inning. Because of all the injuries, Clint Hurdle had to call on all of his position players on Thursday, which could lead to some call-ups this weekend.
W – Nick Wittgren (1-0)
L – A.J. Schugel (1-2)
Line of the Night
Tonight we’ll focus on three reliever that kept the Pirates in the game: Jared Hughes, Neftali Feliz and Mark Melancon. These three combined for three innings with two strikeouts. They pitched their innings efficiently too, needing a total of 39 pitches to get the job done.
Up Next
The Pirates come back to Pittsburgh on Friday to begin a weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels at 7:05pm. The visitors will send Jered Weaver (4-4, 5:40) to the mound while the Pirates will trot out Francisco Liriano (4-4, 4.63). Liriano is coming off of a bad start in Texas in which he gave up five runs over six innings. He also struggled with his command, issuing four walks (nine total in his last two starts). Weaver was dealt a loss his last time out against Houston, surrendering four runs through six innings. Weaver has suffered a well documented loss in velocity, so hopefully the Pirates can take advantage of a pitcher who has struggled recently.
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