Pittsburgh Pirates Continue To Be The Battling Bucs, Sweep Tigers

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The Pittsburgh Pirates swept their two-game series against the Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit

Even though the 2019 season is only 16 games old for the Pittsburgh Pirates, there certainly has been plenty of excitement. Minus a 10-0 loss against the Cubs last Monday, the team has found every game coming down to the final half inning. Wednesday night was no exception.

So far this season the Pirates have been the Battling Bucs. This team has shown a lot of heart, grit, and fight time and time again. This was the case once again on Wednesday night in their come form behind 3-2 victory over the Tigers. With the win, the team is now 10-6 on the season and capped of a 5-3 road trip by sweeping a two-game series against the Tigers.

In the top of the 4th inning the Pirates would draw first blood.

With two runners on base and two outs Jung Ho Kang hit a ball 106 miles per hour that Detroit shortstop Ronny Ramirez could not handle. Ramirez was charged with an error as Melky Cabrera came around to score making it 1-0 Pirates.

Left fielder Jason Martin then drove a ball deep into left field. However, the strong wind that was blowing it batted the ball down and cost Martin a three-run home run. This was just the beginning of an eventful 4th inning for Martin.

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In the bottom half of the inning Martin made a poor throw up the first base line that allowed Miguel Cabrera to score. Had Martin’s throw been on the money, Cabrera would have been out easily.

Light hitting catcher John Hicks then popped a ball up to left field that Martin misread. He originally went back on the ball, and then broke in but did not get to it in time. A ball that should have been an out dropped for a RBI single, and made the score 2-1 Tigers.

The 4th inning defensive shenanigans contributed to starting pitcher Trevor Williams having a 37 pitch inning that proved to cost him an additional inning or two. While the defense did him no favors in the inning, Williams also contributed by issuing a walk and hitting a batter.

Williams did not have good control or his best stuff on Wednesday night. However, he did what the good ones do and battled. In 6 innings of work he allowed two runs on six hits, one walk, he hit two batters, and struck out five. With better defense from Martin in the 4th inning, Williams would have wiggled off the hook with a max of one run allowed.

Watching Williams battle through his struggles on Wednesday night was a great sign. As he continues to evolve into one of the best starting pitchers in the National League, Williams will begin to battle through starts where he does not have his best stuff with regularity. As a result, the Pirates will continue to win a lot of games that he starts.

Returning from the injured list, Kyle Crick replaced Williams in the bottom of the 7th inning. In his first outing since the opening week of the season Crick retired the Tigers in order and recorded a strikeout. Crick’s pitches looked crisp and nasty. Getting Crick back will be a major boost for the Pirate bullpen, and should help to stabilize things for the Bucs.

Crick’s job was to keep the score at 2-1 Tigers to give the Pirates an opportunity to tie the game or take the lead. After Crick did his job, the offense (sorta) did theirs.

Facing 2018 All-Star Joe Jimenez, the Pirates loaded the bases in the top of the 8th inning. JB Shuck singled, Adam Frazier walked, and Starling Marte was hit with a pitch to load the bases with no one out. Lefty Daniel Stumpf was then summoned to put out the fire, and he nearly did just that.

Stumpf would strikeout Colin Moran in an ugly at bat for the Pirate first baseman. Designated hitter Josh Bell then put together a strong, battling at bat that ended with a sacrifice fly to left field that tied the game. Cabrera would then fly out to end the inning.

After a slow start to the season Richard Rodriguez has pitched much better in his last eight outings. This rebound continued on Wednesday night when the Pirate righty fired a 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th inning.

In his last eight outings Rodriguez has allowed just a pair of solo home runs in 7 2/3 innings pitched. In addition to the two solo shots, he’s allowed a single, issued one walk, and struck out seven batters. Getting Rodriguez back on track, just like getting Crick back from the IL, is a huge boost for the bullpen. Both of these happenings should help to get the Pirate bullpen back on track. It will also make Clint Hurdle‘s job of managing the bullpen easier.

After Nick Burdi continued to dominate by firing a 1-2-3 bottom of the 9th inning, the Pirates and Tigers went to extra innings tied at 2. This game became the sixth extra innings affair of the season for the Pirates, which is a franchise record for the most extra innings games played through the first 17 games of a season in franchise history.

Extra innings would begin with a bang for the Pirates.

Frazier doubled to start the 10th inning, Marte singled, Moran singled, and the Bucs led 3-2. The three consecutive hits came after the team collected just three base hits through the game’s first 9 innings of play. While the Pirates could have scored more, Bell hit into a double play to put a damper on things. Regardless, the team was able to hand a 3-2 lead to closer Felipe Vazquez.

After allowing a single to start the inning, Felipe would buckle down. He got a ground ball, a fly out, and then he struck out Cabrera to end the game. After closing out the team’s 3-2 victory, Vazquez now has a five saves this season and keeps his ERA at 0.00.

This was a feel good win for the Pirates. The Bucs continued to show heart and fight by rallying in the 8th inning to tie the game before winning it in the 10th. They continue to show signs of a team that will never go away and will contend throughout the season.

Additionally, the bullpen appears to be getting back on track. In 4 scoreless innings of work the Pirate ‘pen allowed just one base runner. If the bullpen can get back on track to go with this team getting healthy, then the Pirates will be set up for success and a fun summer on the North Shore.

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After a day off on Thursday, the Pittsburgh Pirates will return home to PNC Park for a three-game weekend series against the San Francisco Giants. Game one of the Easter Weekend series is scheduled for 7:05 on Friday night. Jordan Lyles (0.82 ERA, 3.23 FIP) will start for the Pirates, while the Giants will go with veteran lefty Madison Bumgarner (3.12 ERA, 4.56 FIP).

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