Despite scoring just a single run in all three games of the weekend series against the Angels, the Pirates somehow left PNC Park with a series win. Backed by two pitchers who absolutely needed a good outing and delivered, the Buccos held steady in their longshot pursuit of a Wild Card spot.
Game one was a day to celebrate. Konnor Griffin returned from injury after being out for two months, and the fans were out to welcome him back at PNC Park. Taking the mound for the Bucs, who were donned in their City Connect uniforms, Jared Jones looked to get back on track after seven straight starts ending in Pirates losses. Opposing him was young righty Ryan Johnson, whose season numbers look rough but who has pitched much better recently. Johnson continued that stretch, giving up just one run over six innings while striking out six. However, Jones was even better. He allowed just four men to reach base over six scoreless innings and punched out nine Angels. His slider was absurd, generating 19 whiffs on its own. The previous Pirates record for whiffs with a single pitch was 16 by Ian Snell in 2008, and Jones passed that with ease.
The Pirates were only able to score one run for him, but it was an exciting one. On a Jake Mangum hit to right field, Konnor Griffin flew around the bases and scored from first with a diving headfirst slide, producing a run that not many other players in the league could. Jones left the game with that 1-0 lead, and the score never changed. Wilber Dotel came in and shoved for two shutout innings before passing the baton to Mason Montgomery for the ninth. Monty was his usual dominant self, securing the shutout victory for his ninth save of the season. While the offense was mostly dormant, Bryan Reynolds continued to heat up, smacking two hits, including a double that gave him the league lead in two-baggers.
Game two was sadly bleak. Braxton Ashcraft took the ball for the Pirates coming off a month of absolutely tremendous starts. He was matched up against Yusei Kikuchi, a veteran lefty and former All-Star who is the exact type of pitcher that typically gives the Pirates lineup fits. Ashcraft came back down to earth a little, going five innings and allowing three runs. It wasn’t a horrible performance by any means, but on a day when the Bucco bats were this cold, it just wasn’t going to get the job done. Kikuchi held the Pirates scoreless over six innings, and the Angels bullpen followed his lead. The Pirates’ only run came on a Bryan Reynolds solo shot in the eighth, one of three hits for him on the day. Meanwhile, the Bucco bullpen got hit around, with Isaac Mattson giving up three runs as his struggles this season continued.
Game three was an absolute must-win if the Pirates had any hope of chasing down a playoff spot. Paul Skenes looked to bounce back after a dreadful start against the Giants last week, which marked the sixth time this season he allowed five or more runs. Skenes was good and ended with a solid line despite being far from dominant. He struggled to put hitters away and tallied just two punchouts over 5.1 innings, but still powered through and held the Angels without a run.
Despite putting up a zero, Skenes was probably outdueled by Angels rookie flamethrower Walbert Urena. Urena continued his unbelievable debut campaign by tossing eight innings of one-run ball, lowering his season ERA to 2.74. The lone blemish on his day was a Henry Davis solo home run. Outside of that, Brandon Lowe was the only Pirate to record a hit. And yet, it didn’t matter, because the Pirates’ arms picked up where Skenes left off and shut out the Angels for the second time in three days. Gregory Soto finished off the sixth inning before Carmen Mlodzinski, Camilo Doval, and Mason Montgomery locked it down the rest of the way.
The Pirates also played tremendous defense, cutting down a run at the plate on an Oneil Cruz-Brandon Lowe-Henry Davis relay before Cruz made a diving catch in center. Then, with two outs in the ninth and a runner on, Bryan Reynolds covered a ton of ground and made a leaping grab in the right-center gap to end it.
It was an odd series. The Pirates were only able to scrape across a single run in each game, but miraculously, it was enough to win two of them. A sweep would’ve been extremely nice, but keeping pace and stacking series wins isn’t a bad consolation. The Pirates have now won six of their last seven series and have been consistently good for almost a month.
MVP of the series is probably Reynolds. While his homer in game two was ultimately meaningless, he was excellent in game one and reached base on a walk in game three to extend his on-base streak to 17 games. Jones and Skenes both tossed up goose eggs, but the bullpen was just as important in both victories.
The Bucs get a day off tomorrow before starting a Chicago road trip that’ll kick off with the White Sox on Tuesday and end with the Cubbies. Bubba Chandler will get the pill for game one against the ace of the White Sox staff in Sean Burke. Let’s Go Bucs!
