For the second straight game, the Pirates’ poor fielding and lack of hitting with runners in scoring position hurt them, and they are now losers of three consecutive games for the first time this season. Here’s Joe Block.
Those costly errors were by Rodolfo Castro, who failed to field an easy two-out grounder that led to the first three Rays runs, and Ji Hwan Bae, who bobbled a ground ball and rushed a throw to first base that sailed beyond the mitt of Carlos Santana. Bryan Reynolds also had trouble on a ball that hit in front of him but bounced high off the turf and over his head to score the Ray’s first three runs.
The Pirates’ offense is now 0-for-17 with runners in scoring position in the two games at Tropicana Field.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton says the team hasn’t been competitive with the Rays in this series.
Shelton liked the way Mitch Keller threw the baseball, but his teammates let him down.
Shelton has had issues with the umpiring in this series and he was ejected from the game in the 5th inning when he complained about their management of the pitch clock. He thought they were giving Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan more time than he was entitled to before starting the clock. In Tuesday’s game, the umpires missed an obvious balk call on the Rays. It all boiled over last night.
Mitch Keller says the Pirates have to guard against their three-game losing streak becoming even worse.
Keller says the Rays are too good a team to give them extra outs.
The Pirates and Rays do battle once again this afternoon in the series finale. Vince Velazquez [4-2, 3.06 ERA] pitches for the Pirates against the Rays’ Zach Eflin [3-0, 3.00 ERA]. It will be a 12:45 airtime on 100.9 The Groundhog.)
Pirates number 17 prospect Jared Triolo has begun a minor league rehab assignment after a spring training injury that required surgery on the hamate bone in his left hand. The third baseman, who spent last season at Altoona, is starting his rehab with Low-A Bradenton.
ALTOONA
The Altoona Curve evened their series with Richmond with a 5-4 10-inning win last night. The Curve took a 3-0 lead in the first inning with the help of a 2-run home run by Matt Gorski, but the Flying Squirrels answered with a run in the first and two in the fourth. Liover Peguero hit his first home run of the season in the fifth for the Curve, but Richmond tied it in the 9th off Noe Toribio. The Curve scored the game-winning run on an RBI single by Domingo Leyba, scoring the placed runner, Peguero. Then Toribio worked out of a jam in the bottom of the 10th with three straight strikeouts. Curve pitchers struck out 16 batters in the game.
Sean Sullivan pitches game three of the series today for the Curve.
