PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He was only in the game due to one of two injuries in the outfield and after an Oneil Cruz two-out single tied the game in the eighth inning, Michael A. Taylor crushed a 421-foot home run to left-center with two-outs and two on in the ninth off Josh Hader. Pirates once again fight back, this time a 5-3 win at Houston.
It was another stunning win as this Pirates team battles adversity to remain within two games in the Wild Card race. Sunday the Bucs won after being down to a final strike at Arizona and then held on in extra innings. The Pirates had two hits with runners in scoring position, one tied the game and the other won it. The Pirates made three errors and didn’t have a base runner until the sixth inning, yet found a way to win.
The Bucs bullpen gave up one run over three innings as David Bedna r had an unintentional, intentional walk to force in a run in the ninth. Aroldis Chapman struck out a pair in his inning for a fourth win of the season. Bednar earned a 19th save.
One run for Skenes
Over the last two starts, 14.1 innings, Paul Skenes has given up three earned runs and struck out 14. He hasn’t won either. Monday, he gave up five hits, three walks, two runs (one earned) throwing 101 pitches-65 strikes over six innings for a no-decision.
Takeaway the 14 runs the Pirates scored during his start on July 5 (10 after he left the game), the Pirates have scored 11 runs in the other seven most recent starts, three of those Skenes still won. In five of the last six starts, the Pirates have averaged a run of support.
Skenes did reach 100 strikeouts in just his 13 th game. He is one of six pitchers in MLB history to ever accomplish it—Masahiro Tanaka is the latest in 2014, Kerry Wood, Hideo Nomo, Jose DeLeon and Herb Score are the others.
More injuries
Second-baseman Nick Gonzales placed on the injured list on Sunday with a groin injury that will need weeks, not days of recovery time. On Monday, the Bucs lost two outfielders.
· In the fourth inning while trying to leg out a hit, Joshua Palacios injured his hamstring. He would leave the game with left hamstring discomfort with Ji Hwan Bae going to right field.
· In the top of the sixth, Bae tried to get the inning started with a bunt hit. As he jumped to avoid the tag from the first baseman, he landed awkwardly apparently tweaking his left knee. Bae had to leave the game with left knee discomfort.
Both were treated by the Pirates medical staff.
Shelton on Suwinski
To make room on the roster for Bryan Reynolds, the Bucs sent Jack Suwinski , who was hitting .182 with a .588 OPS and nine home runs.
“Jack, as we’ve seen, he’s done things that people have not done at the Major League level in terms of ability to impact the ball,” Shelton said on the Pirates pregame show on 93.7 The Fan. “I just think he’s in-between. I just think this is a good reset for him. I think we could see throughout his at bats he was in-between, he was scuffling.”
“Hopefully this is a situation we get him down there and we free his mind a little bit and get him back to being the guy we saw that was a productive Major League player.”
Bullpen trade
The Bucs acquired left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks from Colorado for minor-league left-hander Luis Peralta .
The 31-year-old Beeks pitched in 45 games with a 4.74 ERA in 49.1 innings with 38 strikeouts and 18 walks and a 1.36 WHIP. Oddly enough, the 5’11” Beeks is much better at home with the Rockies (3.81 ERA in 28.1 innings) than on the road (6.00 ERA in 21 innings, 1.67 WHIP). He has pitched in 176 career MLB games. His best season was in Tampa in 2022 with a 2.80 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 61 innings.
The 23-year-old Peralta was having a big year between High-A Greensboro and AA Altoona. Combined he is 4-0 with a 0.91 ERA, 0.98 WHIP with 64 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. It is by far the best season of a career that started in the Dominican Summer League in 2018.
Up Next
LHP Bailey Falter (4-7, 4.08 ERA) makes his return from the Injured List starting against RHP Hunter Brown (9-6, 4.00 ERA) with first pitch at 8:10p as Dan Zangrilli hosts the North Shore Tavern Leadoff Show at 7:15 on 93.7 The Fan.
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