08/22/23 – By Ethan Smith – @mvp_Ethan on Twitter
The Pittsburgh Pirates have the St. Louis Cardinals number right now, outlasting the Red Birds 6-3 on Tuesday night to pick up the series victory.
Unlike Monday night, the offense started slow for both sides, with Adam Wainwright and Johan Oviedo pitching the first three frames without allowing a run.
Pittsburgh would finally crack Waino, who was making his last start of his career at PNC Park, on a Connor Joe RBI single that would score Ji-hwan Bae.
Richie Palacios, brother of Joshua Palacios, answered his brother’s homer from Monday night with one of his own, tying the game at one a piece.
The game took a turn for the better for the good guys in the fifth though as the Pirates posted five runs in the fifth, marking the second night in a row that they scored four runs or more in a single inning.
It started with a bases loaded RBI groundout for Bae, which was followed by a two-run RBI double from Bryan Reynolds off the Clemente Wall and was capped off by an Andrew McCutchen two-run home run, number 299 on his career.
The bottom of the fifth would be Waino’s last at PNC Park as he lasted 4.2 innings while giving up six and striking out three.
Oviedo exited the game after the fifth as well, allowing only one earned run while striking out five. His ERA dropped to a 4.46.
Dauri Moreta struggled a bit in the sixth and seventh, allowing two runs on three hits. Colin Holderman would follow, going 1.1 IP with two strikeouts.
The Pirates were blanked after the strong fifth inning, but David Bednar would shut the door on St. Louis and the Pirates would clinch another series victory thanks to some offensive fireworks and solid pitching for the second game in a row.
Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds had 4 RBIs a piece to propel the win and the Pirates look for a sweep tomorrow.
News & Notes
- Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds combine for two hits and four RBIs
- Oviedo tosses five solid innings of one-run baseball
- Colin Holderman and David Bednar shut things down in the 8th and 9th inning
- Pirates move to 57-69
- Second consecutive night w/ a 4-run-plus inning
Steel City Pirates 