Marlon Byrd hit a solo home run in the seventh inning propelling Gerrit Cole and the Pirates to a 2 – 1 victory on Saturday night pulling them aside of the Cardinals, yet again, for the NL Central lead.
Byrd’s home run came minutes after Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” played on the loud speaker during the inning break as he and Jose Tabata took fans back to 1979 with their version of The Lumber Company with solo shots each giving the Pirates their only runs of the game.
It would be enough for starter, Gerrit Cole as he allowed a single first inning run to lead-off hitter Starlin Castro as he reached via single and scored on Nate Schierholtz’s RBI double. It could have been 2 – 0 on that play as Anthony Rizzo was on first at the start of the play, but a great relay from Byrd and Neil Walker gunned down Rizzo at home to keep it at one run.
Tabata’s homer would tie things up in the sixth. Cole would risk losing the tie in the seventh when he allowed runners on second and third with one out. Cole would then bear down and strike out pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro then get Castro to ground out to end the threat. “It was just big to be able to get the opportunity to get those outs because I knew we had guys up in the pen and it was just big. Big time shut-down inning right there and they came at me hard right through the whole game and they fought, so it was nice to be able to get out of that jam.” It was the final inning Cole pitched in the game as his pitch-count reached 101 pitches. Another effective start in a pennant race for the rookie.
Byrd would then add to the momentum and hit his homer in the bottom of the inning to give the Bucs the lead. Byrd continues to contribute since coming over from the Mets as he is hitting “The numbers speak for themselves,” said manager, Clint Hurdle. “The numbers are real and they’re in a pennant race in which he’s hitting in the middle of the lineup and the play he makes in right field, he’s taking good angles, he’s making good breaks, he made a couple of good throws. He’s a pro with a slow heartbeat.”
Tony Watson would throw a perfect eighth and Mark Melancon would close things out with a double play to end it.
Final Score: Pirates 2, Cubs 1
With the win and losses by the Nationals and Cardinals, the Pirates are tied atop the NL Central standings with a magic number of 7 to clinch a playoff spot.
Starters Lines
Cole (W, 8 – 7): 7 IN, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K’s. 101 Pitches (61 Strikes)
Baker (ND): 6 IN, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 K’s, 1 HR. 75 Pitches (54 Strikes)
The Pirates look for the series victory in the series finale tomorrow at 1:35.
Tomorrow’s Starters
(LHP) Francisco Liriano (PIT): 16 – 7, 2.92 ERA
(LHP) Travis Wood (CHC): 9 – 11, 3.05 ERA
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(Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Sports)
