The Pirates came into this game with their 11th chance to sweep a series this year. And it ended the way it always does. Bryse Wilson gave the Pirates five excellent innings, but the team’s offense, defense, bullpen and manager weren’t up to the job, and Arizona won, 5-2.
Wilson had to strand a pair of runners in the second, but otherwise was never really in trouble. He gave up just two hits and two walks, and fanned seven.
Wilson left with a 2-0 lead. Arizona starter Tyler Gilbert threw a no-hitter 11 days ago and for a while he appeared headed for another. He retired the first ten hitters on what seemed like eight pitches.
Ke’Bryan Hayes stopped all that, though, with a one-out double in the fourth. He eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacob Stallings. In the fifth, Gregory Polanco doubled and scored on a single by Michael Chavis.
The lead didn’t survive long once Wilson was out. Nick Mears got one out in the sixth, then surrendered a home run to Pavin Smith and walked the next batter. Anthony Banda relieved and got the second out, but Polanco let a routine single roll between his legs to let in the tying run score from first.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Pirates couldn’t do anything with Brett De Geus and his 7.50 ERA. In the top of the seventh, Banda gave up a pinch-hit bomb to Carson Kelly to put the Diamondbacks up, 3-2.
In the eighth, Derek Shelton went with Kyle Keller, who’d been scored upon in six of his last seven outings. That made him a better candidate than Luis Oviedo, who hasn’t been scored upon in his last three outings. Instead of pitching badly, like he always does, Keller pitched badly, which no doubt baffled Shelton. By the time Keller got done, the score was 5-2 and his ERA was 8.02.
In the eighth and ninth, baseball’s worst offense got nowhere against baseball’s worst bullpen. In between, Oviedo had a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, which should earn him all the opportunities Ciriacoville has to offer. The Pirates went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
