A day after the frustrated Pittsburgh Pirates could do no right, smiles were aplenty as they beat the Seattle Mariners 8-1 Wednesday night.
The Pirates were able to capitalize off Mariners starter Wade Miley, who was making his first start since coming off the disabled list after recovering from a shoulder injury.
Miley (6-4) didn’t make it to the fifth inning as he had already allowed five runs on seven hits through four innings while also throwing 74 pitches.
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Pittsburgh’s David Freese has said this season that when he squares up a hit to centerfield or to right field (opposite field), he knows his contact is good. This happened in the second inning for a first-pitch home run, his seventh of the season.
Freese’s homer set up the offense, and two more runs scored in the inning when Josh Harrison hit his 11th double of the season to plate both Starling Marte and Sean Rodriguez, once again on the first pitch.
Two innings later, it was Rodriguez’s turn, as he hit his 11th double of the season to score Marte. An additional run was added when leadoff hitter Jordy Mercer recorded a two-out, two-strike single, allowing Rodriguez to touch home.
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Up 5-0, the Pirates weren’t satisfied, and Rodriguez hit a second double, his 12th of the season, off Seattle reliever Donn Roach to clear the bases.
The Mariners did score one run off Pirates starter —and rookie — Jameson Taillon (2-1) when Adam Lind hit an opposite-field single into left field.
Taillon allowed six hits and struck out six batters in his six innings of work.
After an off-day Thursday, the Pirates will be in Oakland taking on the Athletics. Pirates’ Jeff Locke (7-5, 5.12 ERA) will be taking on the A’s Sonny Gray (3-6, 5.03 ERA). Locke is 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA in one career start against the Athletics.
Image credit: MLB.com
