The Pirates finished up one of those uniquely humiliating series that have been so common for them this year. A 6-4 loss to the amazingly terrible Diamondbacks completed a three-game sweep, something the Pirates haven’t managed to do to anybody all year.
The lead swung back and forth several times. Jared Oliva knocked in a run with a two-out single in the second to put the Pirates ahead. Bryan Holaday did the exact same thing to tie the game in the bottom half.
Max Kranick didn’t have a good start, giving up seven hits over three innings. Arizona took the lead in the third on another two-out, RBI hit. The Pirates got the lead back in the top of the fourth when third baseman Eduardo Escobar waved at Oliva’s bouncer with runners at second and third, with both runners scoring on the error.
With a 3-2 lead, Kranick couldn’t retire anybody in the bottom of the fourth. Doubles on consecutive pitches, a hit batsman and a walk to Madison Bumgarner tied the game and loaded the bases. Austin Davis came on to get a couple of force outs at the plate, but in between he walked in the go-ahead run.
The Pirates as usual couldn’t take advantage of their scoring chances. They had 11 hits, but ten were singles and they went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, with one of those hits not scoring a run. They did finally tie the score in the seventh. Adam Frazier, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds singled to load the bases with one out, and John Nogowski walked to tie the score, 4-4. Jacob Stallings, though, hit into a double play.
The tie didn’t last long. Duane Underwood, Jr. — who like most of the bullpen really isn’t much good — gave up longballs to the first two hitters in the bottom half of the seventh, Pavin Smith and the badly struggling Daulton Varsho. The Pirates went down without a peep in the eighth and ninth.
