It has been a difficult weekend for the Pittsburgh Pirates thus far in their series against the Philadelphia Phillies. After losing two rather high-scoring games on Thursday and Friday, pitching took the forefront on Saturday, with only three runs being scored total. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, they all belonged to the Phillies, as the Bucs fell 3-0 at Citizens Bank Park.
Ranger Suarez was dominant on the mound for Philadelphia on Saturday, pitching a complete game shutout, giving up just four hits and no walks while striking out seven batters. His mound opponent, Wil Crowe, took the loss for Pittsburgh (4-8), giving up three runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings.
The Phillies didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard either, but they did enough to coast to a comfortable victory. They scored two runs in the bottom of the third to break the scoreless tie, both via the solo homerun. Matt Vierling got the scoring started with his solo homerun to center field. Bryce Harper later blasted his 34th homerun of the season, a solo blast to make it 2-0.
An insurance run came in the fifth inning via a single by Brad Miller, scoring Jean Segura. The Pirates couldn’t muster any type of an offensive push to get back into the game, and it ended up being an easy win for Philly.
This was another disappointing loss for Pittsburgh, who are nearing that 100th loss of the season. They do have a chance to avoid the series sweep when they take the field on Sunday afternoon. Max Kranick will start for Pittsburgh, looking to tally his second win of the season.
Record vs. Phillies: 2-4
Record vs. N.L. East: 16-17
Record on the Road: 23-56
Overall Record: 57-97
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
