Looking ahead to first pitch …
Game: Pirates (69-47) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (58-59), 7:07 p.m., PNC Park
Pitchers: Francisco Liriano (3.19 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) vs. Chase Anderson (4.31, 1.27)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan
Online: Gameday | Multimedia | Media notes
Starling Marte reacts after hitting a solo home run in the third inning. — GETTY
Matt’s five pregame notes:
• There’s a slight chance of rain tonight, though it’s yet to be seen if we experience a delay like what Diamondbacks starter Jeremy Hellickson provided during last night’s 3 1/2-hour Pirates loss. Hellickson notably took his time while holding the home team to four baserunners in 5 1/3 innings.
I asked hitting coach Jeff Branson if slow pace can throw a hitter off kilter in any way: “We don’t worry about what (the pitcher) does. We control the pace. The main thing is that he made pitches, and we didn’t make him come up in the zone. Now, if it’s a fast-paced guy, we slow him down, but slow pace has nothing to do with it.”
• Starling Marte continues to put together a solid season, with a .284/.387/.444 line and a 2.0 in offensive WAR, but his power has waned after an outstanding start: Since Marte hit his 12th home run June 9 against Milwaukee, he has popped only one over the fence, July 1 in Detroit. During that 52-game span, his batting average is .320, but his slugging percentage is .411. Over his first 57 games this season, he hit .251 with a .474 SLG.
“A lot of times, it’s the way he’s being pitched,” Clint Hurdle said. “Pitchers are making adjustments to him and what he’s shown. It goes in cycles. We think he’s still developing and there’s some more strength in there he’ll find.”
• As Pat Lackey outlined today, Gerrit Cole is getting fewer swings and misses on his slider since the start of August. Over his four starts this month, Cole has a 4.70 ERA and the opposition is batting .300/.354/.456, capped by last night’s rough outing.
“More often that not, it’s about execution,” Hurdle said of the slider. “It’s about tilt and depth. It can also be about fastball location. When either of those are down, you’re going to see more (contact). Without top-shelf execution, guys are going to hit some balls they normally wouldn’t.”
Hurdle added that the team doesn’t believe fatigue is an issue for Cole, who has thrown 155 1/3 innings this year.
• A.J. Burnett update: Hurdle said he is progressing on his rehabilitation program, with a chance that he’ll throw off the front slope of the mound today, if not necessarily the rubber.
• Even accounting for last night’s loss, the Pirates are on a 15-4 run at PNC Park. Their 39-19 record (.672 winning percentage) in Pittsburgh is the fourth-best home mark in the big leagues, putting them on pace to at least match their results of the past two years, when they went a combined 101-61 (.623) on the North Side.
Follow the game with Matt:
7:08: A.J. Pollock singles to center field off Liriano to start the game. Pleasant evening after a cloudy afternoon. Just a little breezy and in the mid-70s.
7:13: Three hits by the D’Backs, the last by Paul Goldschmidt on a line to center field, and the visitors have a 1-0 lead. Liriano gets a mound visit by Francisco Cervelli.
7:19: Yasmany Tomas grounds into a 6-4-3 double play with the bases loaded, driving in Aaron Hill. That cleans things up for Liriano, who retires David Peralta to end the inning down 2-0.
7:28: Gregory Polanco and Marte smack singles off Anderson, then the Arizona starter throws a pick-off try into center. Andrew McCutchen drives in Polanco with a deep sacrifice fly to left. 2-1 D’Backs.
7:30: A pro at-bat from Aramis Ramirez leads to a sac fly to right. Let’s start over again, 2-2.
7:38: Nick Ahmed, who stung a one-out triple, comes home on Anderson’s squeeze bunt up the first-base line. It surprised Pedro Alvarez, who couldn’t get to the ball in time to make a play. 3-2 Arizona.
7:50: What’s gotten into Liriano at the plate? He puts a beautiful swing on an Anderson offering and lines it up the right-center field gap. Alvarez comes around from first to make it 3-3. Liriano has a three-game hitting streak … woah.
8:06: Marte’s first home run since July 1 (see above) puts the Pirates ahead for the first time, 4-3. Into the visitors’ bullpen, in fact. Just his second dinger in 53 games, after 12 in his first 57.
8:39: Liriano is at 76 pitches through five, but he’s been much more efficient in the past three innings. He’s dispatched 10 of 11 Diamondbacks and hasn’t allowed a hit since Anderson’s bunt single in the second.
8:53: Big-time two-out rally for the Pirates. Four straight hitters reach with two gone, with Alvarez muscling a two-run single into center field for a 6-3 lead. Anderson is done; Josh Collmenter on in relief.
8:58: Make it a three-run fifth inning, with Cervelli collecting an RBI single to left-center to greet Collmenter. 7-3 Pirates.
9:17: Wouldn’t have predicted this in the first inning, but Liriano has reached cruising altitude. Four straight 1-2-3 innings after fanning two Diamondbacks in the seventh. 16 of 17 retired now.
9:24: Yikes … Jung Ho Kang is not impressed by that Collmenter pitch. He rips his 10th homer into the left-field rotunda on a line. MLB Statcast had it leaving the bat at 108 mph. 8-3.
9:34: First two batters of the Arizona eighth reach base, and out comes Hurdle to get Liriano. Warm, sustained applause from 24,975 at PNC Park. Jared Hughes enters to do his fireman thing.
9:39: That didn’t go well for Jared. Walks Goldschmidt on a 3-2 pitch to push a run across. 8-4 now, and it’s Tony Watson‘s turn with the bases loaded and no outs.
9:44: Watson not faring a lot better. Sac fly by Welington Castillo drives in one and Tomas sends another home with a single. 8-6 Pirates and two runners on …
9:49: Groundout and a strikeout gets Watson and the Pirates out of it. Still (relatively) comfortable entering the bottom of the eighth.
10:11: This one just got really strange. Two Pirates errors allow the Diamondbacks to tie it 8-8. Kang’s whiff on a grounder allowed Ahmed to reach to lead off the ninth, then Sean Rodriguez can’t knock down Goldschmidt’s two-out hot shot to first. It deflects all the way into the right-field corner and two runs score. Mark Melancon sends it to the bottom half by getting Castillo to pop up. One of the more unfair blown saves you’ll see.
10:29: Kang very nearly won it, but Goldschmidt made a lunging snow-cone catch of his line drive. McCutchen, who led off with a single, was then doubled off second … after a long review. Tough to blame Cutch for taking a few steps toward third. Just a great play. On to the 10th!
10:52: On to the 11th! #StopTheWoo
11:08: On to the 12th! Pedro Florimon‘s at-bat music is OutKast’s ‘The Way You Move.’
11:25: Kang and Rodriguez whiff with McCutchen on second base. So much for the redemption storyline. On to the 13th!
11:48: While Joe Blanton took over for the red-hot Arquimedes Caminero (three scoreless innings) in the top half, the Pirates strand another leadoff baserunner. On to the 14th!
12:06 a.m.: How can two teams combine for 16 runs through nine innings and then go completely quiet for five? Now the longest Pirates game by innings since Aug. 18, 2013, also at PNC Park against the Diamondbacks!
12:12: That was hilarious. Arizona reliever Keith Hessler tried to take second base on his first MLB hit, but was thrown out by Marte, who seemed stunned that Hessler was giving it a shot.
12:20: Just as we all predicted, Florimon drives a walk-off double over Tomas’ head in right field. Cervelli sprints 270 feet from first to score the winning run. Man … that’s sports, huh? Not sure what year it is but time for the recap.
August 18, 2015
Final: Pirates 9, Diamondbacks 8, 15 innings
652by Matt Gajtka • Game previews • Pirates
Looking ahead to first pitch …
Game: Pirates (69-47) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (58-59), 7:07 p.m., PNC Park
Pitchers: Francisco Liriano (3.19 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) vs. Chase Anderson (4.31, 1.27)
TV, radio: Root Sports, 93.7 The Fan
Online: Gameday | Multimedia | Media notes
Starling Marte reacts after hitting a solo home run in the third inning. — GETTY
Matt’s five pregame notes:
• There’s a slight chance of rain tonight, though it’s yet to be seen if we experience a delay like what Diamondbacks starter Jeremy Hellickson provided during last night’s 3 1/2-hour Pirates loss. Hellickson notably took his time while holding the home team to four baserunners in 5 1/3 innings.
I asked hitting coach Jeff Branson if slow pace can throw a hitter off kilter in any way: “We don’t worry about what (the pitcher) does. We control the pace. The main thing is that he made pitches, and we didn’t make him come up in the zone. Now, if it’s a fast-paced guy, we slow him down, but slow pace has nothing to do with it.”
• Starling Marte continues to put together a solid season, with a .284/.387/.444 line and a 2.0 in offensive WAR, but his power has waned after an outstanding start: Since Marte hit his 12th home run June 9 against Milwaukee, he has popped only one over the fence, July 1 in Detroit. During that 52-game span, his batting average is .320, but his slugging percentage is .411. Over his first 57 games this season, he hit .251 with a .474 SLG.
“A lot of times, it’s the way he’s being pitched,” Clint Hurdle said. “Pitchers are making adjustments to him and what he’s shown. It goes in cycles. We think he’s still developing and there’s some more strength in there he’ll find.”
• As Pat Lackey outlined today, Gerrit Cole is getting fewer swings and misses on his slider since the start of August. Over his four starts this month, Cole has a 4.70 ERA and the opposition is batting .300/.354/.456, capped by last night’s rough outing.
“More often that not, it’s about execution,” Hurdle said of the slider. “It’s about tilt and depth. It can also be about fastball location. When either of those are down, you’re going to see more (contact). Without top-shelf execution, guys are going to hit some balls they normally wouldn’t.”
Hurdle added that the team doesn’t believe fatigue is an issue for Cole, who has thrown 155 1/3 innings this year.
• A.J. Burnett update: Hurdle said he is progressing on his rehabilitation program, with a chance that he’ll throw off the front slope of the mound today, if not necessarily the rubber.
• Even accounting for last night’s loss, the Pirates are on a 15-4 run at PNC Park. Their 39-19 record (.672 winning percentage) in Pittsburgh is the fourth-best home mark in the big leagues, putting them on pace to at least match their results of the past two years, when they went a combined 101-61 (.623) on the North Side.
Follow the game with Matt:
7:08: A.J. Pollock singles to center field off Liriano to start the game. Pleasant evening after a cloudy afternoon. Just a little breezy and in the mid-70s.
7:13: Three hits by the D’Backs, the last by Paul Goldschmidt on a line to center field, and the visitors have a 1-0 lead. Liriano gets a mound visit by Francisco Cervelli.
7:19: Yasmany Tomas grounds into a 6-4-3 double play with the bases loaded, driving in Aaron Hill. That cleans things up for Liriano, who retires David Peralta to end the inning down 2-0.
7:28: Gregory Polanco and Marte smack singles off Anderson, then the Arizona starter throws a pick-off try into center. Andrew McCutchen drives in Polanco with a deep sacrifice fly to left. 2-1 D’Backs.
7:30: A pro at-bat from Aramis Ramirez leads to a sac fly to right. Let’s start over again, 2-2.
7:38: Nick Ahmed, who stung a one-out triple, comes home on Anderson’s squeeze bunt up the first-base line. It surprised Pedro Alvarez, who couldn’t get to the ball in time to make a play. 3-2 Arizona.
7:50: What’s gotten into Liriano at the plate? He puts a beautiful swing on an Anderson offering and lines it up the right-center field gap. Alvarez comes around from first to make it 3-3. Liriano has a three-game hitting streak … woah.
8:06: Marte’s first home run since July 1 (see above) puts the Pirates ahead for the first time, 4-3. Into the visitors’ bullpen, in fact. Just his second dinger in 53 games, after 12 in his first 57.
8:39: Liriano is at 76 pitches through five, but he’s been much more efficient in the past three innings. He’s dispatched 10 of 11 Diamondbacks and hasn’t allowed a hit since Anderson’s bunt single in the second.
8:53: Big-time two-out rally for the Pirates. Four straight hitters reach with two gone, with Alvarez muscling a two-run single into center field for a 6-3 lead. Anderson is done; Josh Collmenter on in relief.
8:58: Make it a three-run fifth inning, with Cervelli collecting an RBI single to left-center to greet Collmenter. 7-3 Pirates.
9:17: Wouldn’t have predicted this in the first inning, but Liriano has reached cruising altitude. Four straight 1-2-3 innings after fanning two Diamondbacks in the seventh. 16 of 17 retired now.
9:24: Yikes … Jung Ho Kang is not impressed by that Collmenter pitch. He rips his 10th homer into the left-field rotunda on a line. MLB Statcast had it leaving the bat at 108 mph. 8-3.
9:34: First two batters of the Arizona eighth reach base, and out comes Hurdle to get Liriano. Warm, sustained applause from 24,975 at PNC Park. Jared Hughes enters to do his fireman thing.
9:39: That didn’t go well for Jared. Walks Goldschmidt on a 3-2 pitch to push a run across. 8-4 now, and it’s Tony Watson‘s turn with the bases loaded and no outs.
9:44: Watson not faring a lot better. Sac fly by Welington Castillo drives in one and Tomas sends another home with a single. 8-6 Pirates and two runners on …
9:49: Groundout and a strikeout gets Watson and the Pirates out of it. Still (relatively) comfortable entering the bottom of the eighth.
10:11: This one just got really strange. Two Pirates errors allow the Diamondbacks to tie it 8-8. Kang’s whiff on a grounder allowed Ahmed to reach to lead off the ninth, then Sean Rodriguez can’t knock down Goldschmidt’s two-out hot shot to first. It deflects all the way into the right-field corner and two runs score. Mark Melancon sends it to the bottom half by getting Castillo to pop up. One of the more unfair blown saves you’ll see.
10:29: Kang very nearly won it, but Goldschmidt made a lunging snow-cone catch of his line drive. McCutchen, who led off with a single, was then doubled off second … after a long review. Tough to blame Cutch for taking a few steps toward third. Just a great play. On to the 10th!
10:52: On to the 11th! #StopTheWoo
11:08: On to the 12th! Pedro Florimon‘s at-bat music is OutKast’s ‘The Way You Move.’
11:25: Kang and Rodriguez whiff with McCutchen on second base. So much for the redemption storyline. On to the 13th!
11:48: While Joe Blanton took over for the red-hot Arquimedes Caminero (three scoreless innings) in the top half, the Pirates strand another leadoff baserunner. On to the 14th!
12:06 a.m.: How can two teams combine for 16 runs through nine innings and then go completely quiet for five? Now the longest Pirates game by innings since Aug. 18, 2013, also at PNC Park against the Diamondbacks!
12:12: That was hilarious. Arizona reliever Keith Hessler tried to take second base on his first MLB hit, but was thrown out by Marte, who seemed stunned that Hessler was giving it a shot.
12:20: Just as we all predicted, Florimon drives a walk-off double over Tomas’ head in right field. Cervelli sprints 270 feet from first to score the winning run. Man … that’s sports, huh? Not sure what year it is but time for the recap.