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Pittsburgh Pirates shutout Chicago Cubs, 3-0, in series finale
By Tyler Waite
3. 4. Final. 0. 9
The Pittsburgh Pirates managed to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs Sunday afternoon as the Steel City defeated the Windy City by a score of 3-0. A.J. Burnett tossed his eighth consecutive game of the season allowing two runs or less while lowering his season ERA to a miniscule 1.38, good for second in all of baseball behind Atlanta’s Shelby Miller. Burnett threw seven innings of shutout ball, striking out seven and allowing just three hits. He did walk five, however. Pittsburgh relievers Tony Watson and Mark Melancon combined to pitch two innings of shutout ball to close out the Pirate victory.
Opposite Burnett was Jake Arrieta on the mound, who also had a solid outing, lasting seven innings while allowing just one run. He lowered his ERA to 2.77 on the season, which leads Chicago’s starting staff. The scoring didn’t begin until the fifth inning when a Francisco Cervelli single scored Josh Harrison from third. The Pirates would tag on two more in the eighth off of Cubs’ reliever Zac Rosscup on RBI doubles by Neil Walker and Starling Marte. Melancon would later earn his ninth save of the season, but not without allowing a hit in the ninth.
What Stood Out
A.J. Burnett had another fantastic outing Sunday afternoon. He continues to anchor the Pirate rotation, ahead of Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano, one that has become a strength for this team. If it weren’t for Shelby Miller’s no-hit bid into the ninth inning on Sunday, Burnett may very well be leading all of baseball in ERA.
The usual suspects were the players generating the offense for the Pirates on Sunday. Josh Harrison had a hit as he’s seen his average climb to .230 on the season after a horrid start. Andrew McCutchen was 1-3 with a walk, and Walker and Marte each added hits of their own in the eighth inning. Jordy Mercer has seen his playing time decrease both because of his own poor play and because of the emergence of Jung Ho Kang as a viable starting option at shortstop. Kang added a hit as his season average sits at .300 on the year. It’s nice to see hits throughout the lineup, but three runs won’t always win a ballgame.
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What’s Next
The Pittsburgh Pirates (18-20) are off Monday and then travel back to Pittsburgh to begin an eight-game home stand on Tuesday. Their first opponent will be the Minnesota Twins (21-17), who currently sit three games back in a competitive American League Central division. Francisco Liriano (1-3, 2.96 ERA) will take the ball for the Pirates in the start of this two-game set. He will be opposed by the well-traveled Ricky Nolasco (3-1, 6.38 ERA) as first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM at PNC Park.