Let’s keep it short – this series was probably the worst moment for the Pirates this season so far. Hopefully, nothing happens the rest of the season to top this. With that being said, let’s get into the recaps.
For most of game one, it looked like it was going to be a fun series for the Bucs. With Braxton Ashcraft on the mound, the Bucs’ bats came out to play. Two Brandon Lowe homers, a Marcell Ozuna homer, and a plethora of baserunners gave the Pirates a 6-0 lead by the third inning. The Phillies mounted a rally to make it 6-3, but then the Bucs scored two more to seemingly put it out of hand at 8-3 going to the seventh inning. Ashcraft and Mason Montgomrey both got knocked around a bit in the seventh to make the game 8-5, but even then the Pirates felt in control. Then, the top of the ninth inning happned. Gregory Soto was in for the save, who had been celebrating a fantastic season so far until this game. The new Pirates closer immediately fell apart, giving up three runs and walking two. Bryce Harper just missed a grand slam off of him by inches, so the Pirates were able to keep the game tied. However, a fruitless ninth inning took the game to extras. Dennis Santana stepped to the mound looking to keep the game knotted at 8-8, but he simply did not have it. He didn’t record an out and gave up three runs. Brandan Bidois looked fantastic to clean up his mess a little, tallying two big strikeouts. However, the momentum just wasn’t in the cards for the Bucs’ bats, and a mini-rally in the bottom of the tenth was put out by Orion Kerkering to hand the Pirates a truly horrific loss.
Coming off a tough game one, the Bucs looked to rebound in a way they have multiple times this season. Sadly, this one was over before it even began. Again unable to find the zone, Bubba Chandler gave up five runs in the first two innings. With Cristopher Sanchez on the mound, the game was basically over, and the Pirates never showed life. Sanchez twirled a complete game shutout with 13 strikeouts – probably the best outing by any pitcher in the league this year. Sisk, Mattson, Ramirez, and Bidois all looked great in relief of Chandler, but it was all for naught.
And yet, through these two losses, Pirates fans were still telling themselves that with Paul Skenes on the mound Sunday, we can at least get out of this series with one win. That did not happen. Skenes looked sharp going into the fifth inning, but struggled with command and ended up giving up five runs to a hot Phillies offense. The Pirates offense again looked inept, tallying just five hits and getting utterly dominated by Zack Wheeler. In even worse news, Ryan O’Hearn suffered an injury that will keep him out until the end of June. Dennis Santana was the only reliever to give up a run, continuing his string of disastrous outings.
The MVP of the series is Brandon Lowe, who hit two homers in game one and hit another in game three that was called back due to fan interference.
As of Sunday night, it feels bad for Pirates fans right now. The NL is stacked this year, and the once last place Phillies have swept us to come into a dead tie with a record of 24-23. The bats went ice cold to end this series, and the Bucs’ cleanup man is on the shelf for an extended period of time. Something needs to change fast for these Pirates, and it seems the front office might be feeling that pressure. Nick Yorke was sent down to AAA after the game, and it looks as though stud prospect Jhostynxon García will join the club in his stead. Garcia has been a monster the last week, going 5-5 with 3 homers in one game to give him a 1.400 OPS since returning from injury.
The Pirates get an off day tomorrow before another series versus a division rival – the St. Louis Cardinals. Let’s Go Bucs!
