It has been an up and down season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, sitting six games under .500 and in third place in the N.L. Central Division. But so far this year, they have played remarkably well against the team with the best record in the National League – the Los Angeles Dodgers. That trend continued on Tuesday night, as the Bucs clinched the series (and season) victory with a 5-3 victory.
The Pirates have won four of the five games between the two clubs so far this year, with the opportunity on Wednesday to sweep the Dodgers in their own ballpark.
Mitch Keller started for Pittsburgh, giving up two runs two hits with five walks and five strikeouts in five innings on the mound, while earning his second victory of the season (2-5). Wil Crowe tallied his second save of the season. Julio Urias was tagged with the loss (3-5) for the Dodgers, giving up four runs on eight hits in six innings.
The Pirates jumped out to an early lead on Tuesday, as Michael Chavis hit a two run homerun in the first inning and Tucupita Marcano hammered a two run shot in the second inning. The Dodgers found themselves in a deep 4-0 hold until the bottom of the third, when Trea Turner’s two run homerun cut the Bucs’ lead in half, 4-2.
A passed ball by Tyler Heineman on a Kevin Pillar strikeout allowed Justin Turner to score from third in the sixth inning to make it a 4-3 lead. But Bryan Reynolds provided a huge insurance run in the top of the ninth. He doubled home Heineman to make it 5-3, which would be the final score.
This was another impressive victory by this Pirates team. They have struggled mightily at times this season, in particular against teams within their own division. But they have certainly shown up in matchups against the Dodgers, and now amazingly have an opportunity to sweep them with a victory on Wednesday afternoon. Jose Quintana will take the mound for Pittsburgh against Mitch White for Los Angeles.
Record vs. Dodgers: 4-1
Record vs. N.L. West: 8-6
Record on the Road: 10-13
Overall Record: 21-27
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
