Losses Keep Piling Up as Bucs Drop 7th Straight 10-1 (20-15)

5/7/23- By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on Twitter

The Pirates were swept by an AL East team in back-to-back series as they dropped the final game by a score of 10-1. Roansy Contreras was getting good movement on his slider and curve today but the Blue Jay bats were too much for him, lighting him up for 5 runs off 9 hits, 3 walks and only 4 strikeouts.

Contreras's line: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K's, 1 HR,
33% CSW%

ERA: 4.09 –> 4.74
FIP: 3.67 –> 3.99
xFIP: 5.15 –> 5.15

— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) May 7, 2023

On the other side, Yusei Kikuchi got weak contact and quick innings as he lasted 6.1 innings with 4 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. 

Hard to believe the Pirates had the tying run at the plate in the 8th inning as the Bucs loaded the bases with 1 out and a 5-1 score. Toronto called in their closer, Jordan Romano, who managed to strike out Jack Suwinski and get Miguel Andujar to pop out to 3rd to close out the inning.

Blue Jays had six different players have multi-hit game, totalling 15 hits on the day. A third of those hits came in the 9th inning, as Chase De Jong made sure the game was out of reach, allowing 5 runs in the frame to put the final nail in the series coffin for Pittsburgh.

News & Notes

• The start of the game was delayed by an hour and 35 minutes due to rain.
• Contreras managed 14 swings-and-misses on the day but also allowed 11 batted balls with exit velocity of 90MPH+
• Bryan Reynolds saw his 11-game hitting streak come to an end with an 0-5 day. Following a first inning long fly out to center, he had 4 consecutive at-bats where the ball didn’t leave the infield
• Rodolfo Castro committed his 7th error on the season – his third in the past four games.
• Ke’Bryan Hayes had a multi-hit game for the second day in a row. It’s the first time this season that he has achieved that feat.
• Jose Hernandez pitched a clean 7th inning with 2 strikeouts, lowering his ERA on the year to 1.84. He is exceeding expectations considering his Rule 5 status.
• The Pirates try to rebound at home tomorrow as they host the Colorado Rockies. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35PM. Let’s Go Bucs!