Marathon loss for Pirates
Joe Mauer trots after his 13th inning home run..
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Pirates faced the Minnesota Twins last night for the second game in a row. The Pirates are struggling to find a way to win lately. The Pirates faced a three run deficit after just five batters into last night's game. The bullpen has been left wanting for the Bucs this season, except for AJ Burnett who has a 1.38 ERA.
The Twins scored three runs in the first inning and he Pirates trailed by 2 until Andrew McCutchen tied the game in the bottom of the 8th with a home run to center field. The tie score lasted until the 13th inning when Joe Mauer hit his first home run of the season to lift the Twins past the Pirates 4-3 which would be the final score. Jeff Locke pitched a sloppy first inning but managed to keep the Pirates close until he came out in the 6th. The Pirates rally to come back in the game was started by Jose Tabata, who just played with the Indianapolis Indians, by delivering a two out RBI to bring the Pirates within one run.
Tuesday night the Pirates faced a big loss and pitching challenges. The Pirates gave a up 7 runs by he 2nd inning which made fans extremely irritated. "Disappointment directed at the Pirates' starting pitcher emanated from fans for a second straight night, and this time it emerged just minutes after the game's first pitch," (http://triblive.com/sports/-topstories/8401593-74/inning-twins-pirates#ixzz3amiItE00). The Pirates made the Twins nervous Tuesday night by racking up 5 runs quickly but they still fell sort of a necessary win to help them gain momentum this season.
As the Pirates continue to fall short they are below .500 and fourth in the NL Central which makes them 9 games back from 1st place. They need to figure out a way to put it together before their season is over. Starling Marte seems to be struggling in the field and according to Dejan Kovacevic, "Marte has been the focal point, and he fully deserves it. His stroll to Mauer’s farcical three-run single Tuesday should have earned him much more than the day-after admonition Hurdle gave him before the game Wednesday," (http://dkonpittsburghsports.com/2015/05/21/column-isolating-blame-on-marte-seriously/). The Pirates are floundering but no actions are being taking by management to control the situation. The players who normally help the team rally and win games are playing sloppy baseball, especially at the plate.
