Pittsburgh Pirates series review vs. Reds

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Game One: Francisco Liriano (12-7, 3.27ERA) vs. Keyvius Sampson (2-6, 6.46ERA)

Result: Pirates win 6-4 (12 innings)

Winning Pitcher: Arquimedes Caminero (5-1, 3.67ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Collin Balester (1-1, 7.47ERA)

• What went right:
  • The bullpen was absolutely outstanding. Jared Hughes, Joakim Soria, Tony Watson, Mark Melancon, Antonio Bastardo and Arquimedes Caminero completely shut down the Reds’ offense from the fifth inning onward.
  • Starling Marte played the role of hero again as he knocked in his 20^th game winning RBI of the season on a walk-off two-run home run. He went 2-6 and also had two runs scored.
  • Andrew McCutchen busted out of his mini funk, going 3-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
  • Noted Pirate-killer, Todd Frazier had a very poor game, going 0-6 with three strikeouts.

• What went wrong:
  • Francisco Liriano did not have his best stuff and really struggled all night. He did battle and keep the team in the game, but against a very poor Reds team, that isn’t enough. He ended up going five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits.
  • Eugenio Suarez had a pretty impressive night, going 2-6 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored.
  • Pedro Alvarez and Francisco Cervelli both committed errors.
  • Pirates went 1-8 with runners in scoring position.

The Pirates did not play their best game by any means, but this time of year, wins are all that matter and despite falling behind early, the Pirates superior talent won out in the end. Coming back from 4-0 down against any Big League team is impressive, even one that has lost 13 games in a row.

The Pirates looked to lock up home field in the Wildcard game by sending Batman out for the final regular season start of his career.

Next: Game Two: Burnett vs. Finnegan