It was trade deadline day in Major League Baseball and while the Pittsburgh Pirates did not make any big moves, they did clear the way for the younger players to get the bulk of the playing time for the remainder of the season. Traded away were Rich Hill, Ji-Man Choi, Austin Hedges, and Rodolfo Castro, but that did not stop Pittsburgh from a series opening win over the Detroit Tigers by the final of 4-1.
Endy Rodriguez started the scoring in the second inning with a triple to left center that brought home Connor Joe. Rodriguez was not at third for long, as a two-run home run from Liover Peguero got him home and gave the Pirates a three-run lead. That lead increased to four in the fourth on a sac fly from Josh Palacios that plated Jared Triolo. Detroit picked up their lone run in the seventh on an RBI single by Akil Baddoo.
Johan Oviedo had a strong night on the mound and probably his best performance of the year. He would pitch seven innings, allowing one run on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Angel Perdomo struck out one batter during his time on the mound in the eighth. David Bednar earned his 22nd save of the season by striking out two batters in the ninth.
Tigers starter Matt Manning worked six innings. Manning would allow four runs on eight hits to go along with six strikeouts. Chasen Shreve worked a scoreless seventh inning before handing the ball over to Trey Wingenter in the eighth. Wingenter would strikeout one batter during his lone inning of work on the night.
No one should be surprised by the players that Pittsburgh traded away. Aside from Castro, all were rentals with no long-term plan for the Pirates. As we saw tonight that when given a chance the younger players can make an impact, one that we all hope will carry over to 2024. These two teams will wrap up this short two game series tomorrow afternoon at 12:35pm. The pitching matchup is slated to be Osvaldo Bido vs. Eduardo Rodriguez.
Record vs. Tigers: 2-1
Record vs. American League: 14-22
Record at Home: 26-27
Overall Record: 48-58
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
