It is no secret that the Pittsburgh Pirates have been having trouble at the plate this year. On Saturday night against the San Francisco Giants, the highest batting average in their starting lineup was .257 and seven were hitting below .250. Some how they managed to out hit San Francisco 5-4, but in the run column they lost by the final of 2-0. This also marked the 12th time they were shutout this season.
It was a bullpen game for Pittsburgh and the four pitchers they used had fine nights. Tyler Beede allowed two runs on three hits in three innings, to go with three strikeouts and three walks. The Giants plated one of those runs in the first on a Joc Pederson RBI double to left center. Their second and final run of the night came in the third when LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a 378ft. home run to right.
Eric Stout was the first pitcher out of the pen of the Pirates. He allowed one hit, struck out three and walked two during 1.2 innings on the mound. The next 1.1 innings belonged to Duane Underwood Jr. and he would strikeout three batters during that time. The final two innings of the game were given to Chase De Jong, and he would strikeout three of the six batters he faced.
San Francisco starter Logan Webb was lights out tonight. He would allow just five hits, strikeout nine, and walk two, while pitching eight innings. The only member of the Pittsburgh lineup to record multiple hits against him was Rodolfo Castro. Webb earned his 11th win of the year after Camilo Doval earned his 17th save of the season by pitching a scoreless ninth inning.
It is pretty simple in baseball and across all sports, if you don’t score you don’t win. While none of us expect much during these final two months of the season, it would be nice to see some of these young Bucs become more consistent at the plate, in a good way. Better at bats, cut down on strikeouts, and draw more walks, to show they have the talent to play at this level heading into 2023. The Pirates and Giants will wrap up this series Sunday afternoon at 4:05pm.
Record vs. Giants: 1-4
Record vs. N.L. West: 14-16
Record on the Road: 21-40
Overall Record: 45-69
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
