The Pittsburgh Pirates lost their 100th game of the season, an 8-7 extra-inning defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on Tuesday night.
Dakota Hudson and JT Brubaker started for their respective clubs, and neither one faired very well on the mound. Hudson was rocked for seven runs on nine hits in 2.2 innings, while Brubaker gave up three runs on four hits in the same time frame. In all, the two teams used a combined 13 pitchers on the night.
Pittsburgh scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the first, when Miguel Andujar grounded out to push a run across the plate. St. Louis answered in the third inning with three runs. A RBI groundout by Paul Goldschmidt was followed by a two-run single from Albert Pujols, making it a 3-1 lead.
The Pirates scored six runs in the bottom of the third, which one would think would put them in control of the game. A wild pitch by Hudson scored the first run of the innings, followed by a RBI single from Rodolfo Castro, a RBI double by Andujar, and a single by Jack Suwinski. RBI singles by Ben Gamel and Ji Hwan Bae completed the scoring, making it a 7-3 advantage for the home team.
But as one would expect, the Cardinals battled back. A single by Brendan Donovan in the seventh scored a run to make it 7-4, and a two-run double by Corey Dickerson brought the Cards within a run at 7-6. A throwing error by Oneil Cruz on an Alec Burleson allowed the tying run to score.
The Cardinals scored the winning run in the top of the tenth inning on a RBI single by Juan Yepez. The Pirates had two good chances to tie the game again in the bottom of the inning. Kevin Newman was thrown out at home on a single by Cruz, and later in the inning, with Cruz on third base, Bryan Reynolds grounded out to end the game.
This was a difficult loss for the Pirates for a couple of reasons. Obviously, it marked the 100th loss of the season, something that no team wants to endure. Secondly, they had a huge lead against a divisional opponent and let the game slip away. In a lot of ways, this is indicative of where the Pirates are where they are as this season is ending. They have consistently found ways to lose games.
The Bucs will wrap up the 2022 season on Wednesday afternoon against the Cardinals at PNC Park. St. Louis has not announced a starter yet, while the Pirates will send Johan Oviedo to the mound.
Record vs. Cardinals: 5-13
Record vs. N.L. Central: 34-41
Record at Home: 33-47
Overall Record: 61-100
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
