Final Score: Pirates 1 Braves 8
Why The Pirates Lost: This would have been a shocking win considering it was Chris Sale vs. Martin Perez. It would become even more shocking when it became Chris Sale vs. the Pirate bullpen. Perez suffered a groin injury in the 3rd inning. He was able to finish the inning but could not come out for the fourth. The Pirate bullpen of Carmen Mlodzinski, Aroldis Chapman, Kyle Nicolas distinguished themselves by giving up 7 runs, on 9 hits in 4 innings of work. Hunter Stratton did pitch 2 innings of scoreless ball, proving once again if your 3 or more runs behind he is your man to hold the other team in check. It really did not make any difference how pathetic the bullpen pitched, with Chis Sale keeping the offense in check as expected. The Pirates did manage to end his scoreless pitching streak in the second by scoring their only run. The Pirates are 25-29 as they head out for a 5 game road trip beginning in Detroit on Tuesday.
Key Moment Of The Game: In the bottom of the 6th the Braves were leading 4-1 and I guess you could say it was still a game. The Pirates had 2 singles putting runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Nick Gonzales came to bat, who is swinging a hot bat right now and as they like to say in the Pirate broadcast booth, he is an RBI machine. He was no match for Sale on this at bat, striking out on 3 pitches that were all in the strike zone. You have to give him some credit, he swung at two of them. Edward Olivares battled for 6 pitches but popped out to the first baseman to end the inning. The Chapman-Nicolas show plated 4 more runs for the Braves and the game was a blow out. The only good news here is that Chapman did not walk or kill anybody.
Next Game: Tomorrow, the Tigers in Detroit. The Pirates play 2 games in Detroit and 3 in Toronto. Neither team is above .500. The Pirates are 7-6 over their last 13 games. Not a great record but respectable. A 3-2 road trip I feel is a must. Jared (Mr. Six Inning Three Run) Jones is starting tomorrow against the Tigers. We are heading into the dog days of summer. Can the Pirates get hot as we head into June? Only The Shelton knows.
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