All Kris Bryant wanted to do was drive home the runners on base. What happened instead is too complicated to explain in print and sealed the Pittsburgh Pirates fate in a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Bryant got the runs home with a double off the bullpen wall in left-center field, scoring Jorge Soler and Anthony Rizzo. Bryant advanced to third base on the throw home which skipped off Francisco Cervelli’s glove. Bryant got caught in between third base and home plate and Arquimedes Caminero [0-1] threw to third base in an attempt to catch Bryant but in the middle of the rundown Cervelli committed an error to score Bryant.
Earlier in the inning, Soler continued his 4-for-5 day at the plate connecting on a 100 mile-per-hour fastball from Caminero into left field for a double.
“He got two quick outs and I do think after Soler doubled there was a little too much attention at second base,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “He wasn’t getting head turned around to the plate for some reason and he was getting himself behind in the count. The at-bat got away from him with Rizzo and he was missing arm side wide and he gave up the hit to Bryant. He’s a guy a couple of days ago we were talking about where’s he going to pitch and I said to just let him pitch and get some experience.”
The Pirates drew first blood in this game scoring in the first inning for a third consecutive game. Gregory Polanco hit a one-out single and Andrew McCutchen hit a double as Polanco just beat Soler’s throw. It was McCutchen’s 10th RBI of the season.
“You like getting some momentum and you like getting out of the gates clean,” said Hurdle. “I do like the way we came out.
A.J Burnett faced jams in the third and fourth innings and got out of each with a double play. He got Bryant in the third and his mound opponent Jake Arietta [2-1] in the fourth.
“I’m just trying to get that sinker down in the zone and I think hooks in the zone early would have been better and I could expand but it was 0-2 hook from the get go, so he had a good eye on those,” Burnett said of the Bryant at-bat. “I was trying to get them to roll the sinker over and luckily they did. You saw in his next at-bat the sinker was up and he was able to fight it off to right field for an RBI so it’s a difference of being up and being down.”
Burnett allowed a run in the fifth inning, as Bryant’s single scored Soler. Soler had singled and advanced to second on a Rizzo walk. The next play, a Montero single, was challenged as Rizzo was ruled safe at home on a close play. Hurdle elected to challenge stating that Starling Marte’s throw beat Rizzo and won. Cubs manager Joe Maddon also challenged the play contending Cervelli blocked the plate, but the umpires quickly allowed the revised play to stand keeping the score tied at one.
In his outing, Burnett pitched six innings allowing eight hits, one run, two walks and one strikeout. Burnett threw 91 pitches, 60 of which were strikes.
“I was in battle mode,” said Burnett. “I had two strike hook I think from the get go. I think they did a good job of recognizing that and that’s a big pitch when it’s in the zone at the beginning of the game. I was able to make pitches with guys on base and got some big double plays.”
Arrieta retired 16 consecutive batters at one point in the contest and pitched seven innings allowing four hits, one run and struck out seven batters. Arrieta threw 100 pitches 69 of which were strikes.
Antonio Bastardo allowed an insurance run in the eighth inning when Jonathan Herrera singled in pinch hitter Chris Denorfia.
Marte did hit his fourth home run of the season with two outs in the ninth inning off Zac Rosscup however the Pirates ran out of outs.
Tuesday’s pitching match-up pits Francisco Liriano [0-1 2.08 ERA] against Travis Wood [1-1 2.31 ERA]. Liriano is 4-2 with a 2.30 ERA against the Cubs and posted a 1-0 record with a 1.20 ERA in three starts last season. Wood is 5-7 with a 4.28 ERA against the Pirates and had a 1-2 mark with a 6.63 ERA in 2014.
Of note: A fan was removed from the game after being struck by a foul by in the Lexus Club. According to a statement from the Pirates the fan received treatment by PNC Park and Pittsburgh EMS personnel and went from a stretcher to an ambulance before being brought to the hospital. She was conscious at the time and thanked caregivers while giving a thumbs up gesture to fans.
