Game 1 Recap: Pirates at Cardinals, 8/27/20, Game Two

After pulling off an extra innings (F/8) win in game one, 4-3, the Pittsburgh Pirates looked to keep the ball rolling.

With Cody Ponce (0-1) on the mound, the Pirates looked to hand Johan Oviedo (0-0) and the St. Louis Cardinals their second consecutive loss.

In the top of the third inning, Pittsburgh plated two runs, going up 2-0. Erik Gonzalez singled in JT Riddle before Adam Frazier singled in John Ryan Murphy. That would be the totality of the offense from either team.

Here’s the notable for the Pirates. Frazier picked up a pair of hits, which got his average to finally climb to .200. Other than that, the team scattered six hits and managed to push across two runs. The Bucs hit .333 in six at-bats with runners in scoring position, while leaving six men on base.

Cody Ponce had a strong start. The rookie tossed 5.2 innings, allowing five hits, two walks, and picking up two strikeouts, while allowing no runs. He was pulled after a Brad Miller triple in the bottom of the sixth inning which sent centerfielder Cole Tucker flying towards the wall in an attempt to play the ball. Geoff Hartlieb came in to try to push the game into the seventh inning with the lead intact. He was able to get Tyler O’Neill to pop out in foul ground to first baseman Josh Bell.

Nike Turley entered to close the game down in the seventh. Yadier Molina flied a ball to deep right-centerfield but Tucker was able to track it down as he approached the warning track. Dylan Carlson struck out swinging before Dexter Fowler flied to mid-right by the foul line to Jose Osuna, securing the second Pirate win of the day.

Oviedo pitched five innings, only allowing two runs, but would ultimately get tagged with the loss, dropping him to 0-1. Ponce picked up his first major league win, getting to 1-1. Turley picked up the save, his first of the season.

The Pirates improved to 9-19, while the Cardinals dropped to 11-11. Pittsburgh kicks off a series in Milwaukee over the weekend.