4/29/23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter
I love double headers, but day/night double headers, not so much. Once you go through a baseball game, if the flow is broken its hard for everyone to get into it for game two.
But here we are, can’t control the weather.
The Bucs sent Rich Hill to the mound today against Patrick Corbin facing the only team he likes facing.
Rich Hill danced through the raindrops all day. He escaped multiple jams and handed off a 4-3 lead after 6 1/3 innings. It’s truly fun to watch him pitch, when he’s feeling good he can throw anything, anytime he wants and 2 or 3 variations of each pitch on top of that.
So how did they build up this lead? Connor Joe and Miguel Andujar.
In the 8th the Pirates tried to get some insurance. Andujar led off with a walk, Jack Suwinski pinch ran for him, Marcano was hit on the pinky, and stayed in the game, keep an eye on that, swelling would be normal at least. Bae bunted and reached base to load em with nobody out.
Table set.
For Hedges and he walks in 1. 5-3, turkey still on the table. Most of this came off former Bucco Anthony Banda and he was pulled in favor of Ramirez.
The Pirates would add another on a sac fly by Bryan Reynolds to make it 6-3 before it was time for the Colin Holderman redemption outing.
Holderman whizzed through the 8th on 11 pitches.
Unable to add anything more, David Bednar was called on to finish the job. He’s been damn near unhittable, an 0.75 ERA and a 0.750 WHIP in his 12 innings of work entering this contest looking to hold a 3 run lead and give his club a chance to end the night with 20 wins.
News & Notes
- Rich Hill completed another 6 1/3 innings with 3 runs or less outing today. AKA, another Quality Start for this pitching staff. That’s 16. For perspective, last April the Pirates starters had exactly zero.
- Prior to the game, Miguel Andujar was brought up, to make room on the 40, Wil Crowe was placed on the 60-day IL with shoulder discomfort. This is about timing. With a pitcher, something like this will get you shelved for 3-4 weeks minimally, then you have to rehab.
- Drew Maggi was optioned (not DFA’d) to AA Altoona, but is active for both games today as in a Double Header you get a 27th man. For the time being, this will keep him on the 40-man, meaning should they choose, calling him back up is a simple transaction.
- Miguel Andujar made his Pirates debut today and went 2 for 3 with a walk and 3 RBI, 2 of which came on a 2 run homerun to give the Pirates back the lead they’d just relinquished.
- Andrew McCutchen just passed Dave Parker for 7th place on the all time list for Pirates Doubles.
- Stephen Strasburg has only made 8 starts since signing his new deal with Washington.
- David Bednar has 9 saves now. Here’s how he stacks up against the league.
- Craig Toth will have you covered for the Night Cap
Inside The Bucs Basement 