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Gerrit Cole shines in Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 win
90. 3. 4. Final. 1
Gerrit Cole tossed another gem as he led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-1 win today over the Washington Nationals. The win was Cole’s MLB best 14th of the season and gave the Pirates wins in three of the four games this weekend over the Nationals. Mark Melancon closed the door on the Nationals in the ninth inning, earning his league leading 32nd save. The win puts the Pirates at 57-41 heading into action this week.
The Nationals took the lead in the third inning when Michael Taylor his a solo home run, his eighth of the season. This would be all of the runs the Nationals would get on today, as Cole only allowed one other extra base hit. He worked into the eighth inning, striking out eight and walking no one. Tony Watson got the last out of the eighth and then turned the ball over to Melancon, who only needed eight pitches to pick up the save.
Offensively, the Pirates took the lead back in their half of the third inning and did not surrender it again. With Chris Stewart on second, Gregory Polanco singled to bring him in and tie the game. Starling Marte was hit by a pitch in the next at bat (with warnings being issued to both benches since Ian Desmond was plunked earlier). Andrew McCutchen followed up with a single that scored Polanco, giving the Pirates the lead. Neil Walker added his eighth home run of the season (and second of the series) in the next inning, putting the Pirates ahead by two runs.
What Stood Out
As usually is the case when he pitches, Cole was the star again today. He continues to be extremely difficult to score upon, especially on a day like today when he was really clicking. In a game where the offense did not really get much going, he still kept the team in a position to win the game. At this point of the season he has a legitimate shot at winning 20 games and is very much in the conversation for the NL Cy Young Award.
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Even though the offense did not put many runs up on the board, Walker’s home runs today and Thursday were a welcoming sight and hopefully means that he’ll get hot and add more power to the lineup. Polanco has now registered at least one hit in every game after the All Star break except for one, so he could very well solidify the top of the lineup if he can continue to get on base.
What’s Next
After tomorrow’s day off, the Pirates will begin a two game series in Minnesota against the Twins on Tuesday at 8:10pm. Charlie Morton and Mike Pelfrey will take the ball for their respective clubs. Morton will look to bounce back from less than stellar performances in his last two outings. Pelfrey has also lost his last two outings and is only striking out about a hitter every other inning, so the Pirates could be in for a big game if they can be patient at the plate.
Next: Pittsburgh Pirates Trade Rumors - Day 7- Tyler Clippard