Pittsburgh Pirates Rally for a 6-5 Victory Over the Diamondbacks

The Pittsburgh Pirates came from behind the defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first game of their three-game series on Monday night

Monday night at PNC Park the Pittsburgh Pirates kicked off a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Entering the series the Pirates and Diamondbacks owned the two worst records in the National League, meaning this series could have large implications on the 2022 MLB Draft order.

Despite finding themselves in an early hole the Pittsburgh Pirates were able to rally for a 6-5 victory on Monday night. With the win the Pirates now own an overall record of 45-80 on the season.

With the comeback victory the Pittsburgh Pirates now have five victories this season when they have trailed in the game by 4 runs or more. This is the third most in MLB this season and the most by the Pirates since 2008.

Wil Crowe runs into 5th inning trouble

Through the first 4 innings of the night Wil Crowe was pitching a strong game for the Pittsburgh Pirates. All of his pitches were working, his changeup was a weapon and he was keeping Diamondback hitters off balance.

In the first 4 innings of the night Crowe allowed just 1 run on a Daulton Varsho solo home run, on 4 hits, a walk and 5 strikeouts. It appeared that Crowe could be on his way to turning in a strong start for the Pirates.

Then in the 5th inning, while it was not completely Crowe’s fault, the wheels fell off. He allowed a lead off double to his mound opponent Humberto Mejia, then with one out Ketel Marte singled him home to give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead.

After inducing a fly out and hitting a batter, Crowe was burnt by an infield hit off the bat of David Peralta. The ball hit off the bag at third base and was fielded by Ke’Bryan Hayes. On the play Hayes should have stepped on third base to end the inning but he just ate the ball instead, this led to a bases clearing 3-run single by Christian Walker that made the score 5-1 D-Backs.

When Crowe’s night ended he was charged with 5 runs on 8hits, a walk, a home run and 5 strikeouts in 4.2 innings work. While Crowe’s stuff looked good on Monday night and has pitched better of late he still appears to be best suited for a long-term home in the bullpen.

7th inning rally sparks the Pirates

Ben Gamel tripled to lead off the bottom of the 5th inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bryan Reynolds. This pulled the Pittsburgh Pirates to within 3 runs of the Diamondbacks at 5-2. Then in the 7th inning the Pirates continued to rally on their way to tying the game.

Leading off the bottom of the 7th inning Yoshi Tsutsugo stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter. Tsutsugo proceeded to swat a solo home run over the Clemente Wall. Tsutsugo’s 3rd home run in7 games as a Pirate cut the Diamondback lead to 5-3.

With one out in the inning Hayes had a terrific at-bat in which he grinned and drew a walk. The walk by Hayes was followed by a Reynolds triple that scored Hayes, cut the deficit to 5-4 and put the tying run 90 feet away with one out. Colin Moran grounded out and reached on a throwing error by Asdrubal Cabrera, tying the game at 5.

The 7th inning was just the beginning of the late innings rallies by the Pittsburgh Pirates. With yet another home run, to go with a pair of doubles, Tsutsugo could be hitting his way into being a player the Pirates look to re-sign this offseason. If the National League does adopt the designated hitter this offseason, Tsutsugo would make a lot of sense as the Pirate DH in 2022.

Pirates take the lead in the 8th

Kevin Newman walked with one out in the the 8th inning and took second base on a passed ball. Following a pinch hit walk by Wilmer Difo, Gamel drew a walk that loaded the bases and led to an Arizona pitching change.

Hayes then put together another outstanding at-bat that capped off a night in which he saw 31 pitches at the plate with a ground out that gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a 6-5 lead. This was a lead that would not give up.

Great bullpen work

Had it not been for excellent work by the bullpen the Pirates would not have rallied to defeat the Diamondbacks on Monday night. Chasen Shreve, Chad Kuhl, Anthony Banda and David Bednar all pitched in relief of Crowe, and each of them posted a zero.

Shreve walked a batter and struck out a batter in 1.1 scoreless innings of work. In his second relief outing in as many appearances since returning from the COVID injured list Kuhl pitched a scoreless 7th inning. Banda struck out all three batters he faced in the 8th inning and Bednar slammed the door shut in the 9th inning for his 2nd save of the season.

Overall the Pirate bullpen pitched 4.1 scoreless innings in the victory. The quartet of Pirate relievers used did not allow a hit, walked a pair and struck out 6. God, good stuff from the Pirate bullpen.

Cultural differences shine through

Yes, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks have the two worst records in the NL. However, they are tow teams with completely different cultures which was on full display on Monday night.

Despite the Pirates trailing 5-1 in the 5th inning Gamel hustled to turn a double into a triple. Hustle was not something the Diamondbacks did on Monday night. In fact, lack of hustle by Ketel Marte on a Carson Kelly double likely cost them a run in the 1st inning. Also, the 3-run single Walker hit off the outfield wall in the 5th inning should be a double every single time.

There was also a difference in the defense. Gamel again showed up here by hustling to help prevent Marte from scoring in the 1st inning. Newman turned in a quartet of terrific defensive plays in the victory, including a pair of 360 spin and throws. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks were booting the ball in the field and struggling with passed balls.

As the Pirates were rallying you could see the confidence and excitement building the home dugout at PNC Park. Meanwhile, in the visitor’s dugout, the body language looked like that of a defeated team.

The Pittsburgh Pirates may be 35 under .500 but they do not have the culture of a team that is that poor. General manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton deserve a lot of credit for the culture they have cultivated to prevent that.

What’s next?

Tuesday night the Pittsburgh Pirates will send the struggling JT Brubaker (5.49 ERA, 5.35 FIP) to the mound as they look to look up a series victory. Veteran lefty Madison Bumgarner ((4.06 ERA, 4.06 FIP) will take the ball for the D-Backs. First pitch from PNC Park is scheduled for 7:05 PM ET.