Twins Drop Pirates 5-2

Jake Odorizzi spun a 1-2-3 first, with help from some not-very-disciplined swings. Jamo also had a clean frame,although it took 10 pitches to retire Jorge Polanco. The Bucs opened the second with a Freeser knock and J-Bell walk. Cervy doubled in a run. Red Beard had a swing-at-everything at bat but managed to get an RBI grounder out of it. J-Hay was rung up on ball four; Joe West is already having a terrible time, both ways, with balls and strikes. Jordy did walk but no more fun was had. No noise was made by the Twins. Odorizzi fanned a pair in a silent third; JT matched him. The Pirates hit two balls on the nose in the fourth but they found gloves to bracket a no-waves inning. A single and double started the Twins engine revving and a Jorge Polanco ground single tied the score, thanks to Gregory missing the cut-off. A one-out knock put Twinkies on the corners, and a two-out dying quail put them up before the gate was shut. J-Hay was called out on a missed pitch by West again in the fifth, with he and Clint yapping. Jordy (calf “discomfort”) was replaced by Hechy, but no help – Odorizzi struck out the side.

Minnesota opened with another bloop hit; the baseball gods have def not been on the Bucs side lately. Mauer drew a West-assisted walk but Jamo worked out of it. Freeser and J-Bell singled with two away in the sixth. Tyler Duffey was waved in to face Cervy and fanned him (actually, twice; West missed strike three the pitch before). The Twins kept hacking with a leadoff knock, quickly erased on a caught stealing, and JT cruised through. It took eight pitches to sit the Pirates down in the seventh. Ric Rod took the ball and gave up a single before getting the final out. Lefty Taylor Rogers got the eighth frame, and Starling went the opp way for a one-away two-bagger. Gregory picked up the golden sombrero after his fourth K of the night and has looked completely lost. RHP Matt Magill was beckoned to take on Freeser and his leg hit left Pirates at first and third. J-Bell walked to jam the bases, but Amore popped out to short center on a 3-2 heater under the letters. Ric Rod gave up a bloop double and rocket-launch homer to Miguel Sano, which should ice this one. Trevor Hildenberger took the hill for the save. J-Hay singled with an out and Hechy hit into an around-the-horn DP to end a miserable evening.

The Bucs were hurt again by a couple of soft hits, but they hurt themselves more by throwing away their at bats. Freeser, Cervy and J-Bell made the pitchers throw strikes; the others just hacked away to allow some lackadaisical pitching to dominate them. Joe West added an extra burr under the saddle, but ultimately it was the Bucco bats, not the umpiring, that cost them this game. A 4-4 road trip against average opponents is no way to set up a Buctober run; they’re five games out of a wild card spot with a brutal schedule just around the corner.

Notes:

• Freeser stayed smokin’ hot with three hits while J-Bell reached three times with a knock and two walks.
• Gregory struck out four times tonight, three times on three pitches and once on four. The top of the order was 1-for-12 with six K; all three guys – Dickerson, Marte and Polanco – have been in prolonged slumps, although Starling of the trio has had bad ball luck lately. It seems like he ropes at least at ‘em ball per game.
• With Jordan Luplow’s return to Indy, Clint said J-Hay may return to Mr. Handyman and see some outfield time as the Bucs’ fifth OF’er behind Fraze.
• The Pirates have promoted 2018 first rounder Travis Swaggerty to the full-season WV Power from the WV Black Bears, where he hit .288 w/four HR.