What went right/wrong for the Pittsburgh Pirates (5-3) in their split of the front half of this four game series with the Detroit Tigers (4-2).
Right
We’ll start with the good news first. The Bucs did shower well from Sunday to Monday as they hammered Justin Verlander for seven runs in 4 1/3 innings in an eventual 7-4 victory over the Tigers yesterday afternoon. Jonathon Niese delivered a solid performance with four runs allowed, three earned, on five hits in six innings while walking one and striking out five. While his pitch count was slightly elevated, Niese did a good job keeping the ball on the ground. Of his 18 batters retired, he collected seven ground ball outs and the Bucs recorded three double plays behind him. As usual, the bullpen finished the game with strong performances from the three headed monster of Neftali Feliz, Tony Watson, and Mark Melancon, which shut down the Detroit bats in the seventh, eighth, and ninth respectively.
On offense, the Pirates displayed a total team effort. Every member of the starting lineup recorded at least one hit and the Bucs got RBI’s up and down the batting order. John Jaso, rookie DH Matt Joyce, Francisco Cervelli, Gregory Polanco, Sean Rodriguez, and Jordy Mercer each knocked in at least one run for the Bucs against the beleaguered Verlander. It took the former Detroit ace 111 pitches to record just 13 outs. Pittsburgh still stranded eight men on base, but the Pirates did manage to go 6-for-15 (.400) with RISP.
Wrong
So, since just about everything went right on Monday, it’s only fitting that Murphy’s law would kick in against the Pirates this afternoon. With the pitching performances from the starters pretty much reversed, the Bucs fell flat in an 8-2 loss that ties up the series at a game apiece. Juan Nicasio was shelled in just three innings allowing four earned runs on six hits while walking five and striking out four. Justin Upton kicked off the scoring barage for Detroit with a solo homer in the first, his first in a Tiger uniform, and Ian Kinsler also went yard in the seventh off Cory Luebke. The only bright spot for the Pirates came in the top of the sixth inning when Starling Marte launched a two-run homer off of starter Annibal Sanchez that cut the Tiger lead to 4-2. However, Detroit responded with four unanswered runs, three of which came in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run double by Victor Martinez, and an RBI double by J.D. Martinez. Kinsler’s home run an inning later put the icing on the cake. The Bucs struggled again with getting clutch hits, leaving five baserunners and going 1-for-7 (.143) with RISP.
Back to the Burgh
The series shifts to PNC Park tomorrow night as the Bucs look to snap out of losing three of their last four. Shane Greene (0-0, 0.00 ERA) returns to the Tigers rotation against a guy who hasn’t made a start in a Pittsburgh uniform in over a decade. Veteran Ryan Vogelsong (1-0, 4.50 ERA) will take the ball for the Bucs in place of Francisco Liriano for the first pitch at 7:05 PM EDT.
Stats courtesy MLB Gameday
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