The Pittsburgh Pirates won the weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies, ending it with a 5-4 victory on Sunday. Here are the takeaways and throwaways from the afternoon contest.
Takeaways
- Jameson Taillon had a good but not great outing. He allowed four runs over six innings on eight hits. He did not walk anyone to go along with seven strikeouts. Two of the hits that he gave up were solo home runs, so had there been runners on base he could have easily been removed from the game earlier. But overall it was a good start and he certainly represents one of the stronger rotation options as the season progresses. As it stands now, Taillon will next take the ball on Sunday in Milwaukee.
- Elias Diaz made his first career start behind the plate on Sunday and fans were treated to a great example of his arm strength. In the fourth inning he quickly snapped off an on target throw to second base to pick off Carlos Ruiz, the first of the season for the Pirates. While Diaz did go hitless in four plate appearances, his ground out in the third scored Starling Marte, giving him his first career RBI.
- Adam Frazier gave the Pirates a one run lead when he blasted a deep solo shot to left field, almost completely out of the ballpark. Not known for his power, the home run was Frazier’s first at the big league level. His slash line now sits at a fantastic .359/.405/.590 which certainly puts him at the top of the list of surprises for the Pirates this season.
Throwaways
- With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, a storm blew in and caused a lengthy rain delay. Since the game was already deemed an “official game” the umpires could have just called the game. But instead they waited over 90 minutes to record the final four outs of the game. The delay probably did not have a huge impact on the players on the Pirates since Monday is a travel day. However, the Phillies start a series on Monday in Miami and would probably have rather started their trek down to Florida close to on time.
W – Neftali Feliz (4-0)
L – Edubray Ramos (1-1)
S – Mark Melancon (30)
Line of the Afternoon
Today we’ll focus on Taillon’s line since he is one of the most exciting players in the rotation right now.
While he did not registered a quality start, it was still a good start nonetheless for Taillon. He pitched six innings and gave up four runs on eight hits while striking out seven. He did not walk anyone, again showing his fantastic command. He also threw 56 of his 84 pitches for strikes, a very nice ratio. With Glasnow ailing, the spotlight will be on Taillon since he is the healthy and has been pitching well.
Up Next
The Pirates have an off day on Monday before beginning a brief two game series against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday at 7:05pm. Jeff Locke (8-6, 5.54) is scheduled to face Felix Hernandez (4-4, 3.23) in the first game of the series. Locke, who has a precarious grip on a rotation spot, did not do himself any favors in his last outing. Facing a struggling Milwaukee club, Locke lasted just three innings and gave up five runs on seven hits and five walks. Hernandez is having a down year compared to years past, and in his last two starts he has given up a total of 11 runs in 12.2 innings.
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