Series Review: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Arizona Diamondbacks

Aug 17, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Joakim Soria (38) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Arizona won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Game Three: J.A. Happ (4-7, 4.64ERA) vs. Robbie Ray (3-8, 3.29ERA)

Result: Pirates win 4-1

Winning Pitcher: J.A. Happ (5-7, 4.42ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Robbie Ray (3-9, 3.38ERA)

Save: Mark Melancon (38, 1.58ERA)

• What went right:
  • J.A. Happ looked like a completely different pitcher than the one that took the mound in his first game as a Pirate. He went six innings, allowed zero runs on two hits and struck out three.
  • Sean Rodriguez rebounded from a poor defensive game and made up for his with his bat. He went 3-4 with an RBI.
  • Top of the order was outstanding as Gregory Polanco, Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen combined to go 5-11 with an RBI and a run scored
  • Joakim Soria and Tony Watson were both dominating out of the bullpen. They both pitched hitless, scoreless innings.

• What went wrong:
  • Aramis Ramirez went 0-4 and left three men on base.
  • Andrew McCutchen had a bad night on the bases as he was caught stealing and picked off.
  • Antonio Bastardo had his first poor outing in awhile as he he couldn’t record an out and allowed one run on one hit and a walk.
  • Francisco Cervelli and Travis Ishikawa both grounded into double plays.

Next: Final Thoughts