The Pirates bullpen has blown eighteen saves this season, including the first two games of their weekend series with the Reds. So the Bucs’ offense took things into their own hands yesterday, using the long ball to ensure a win over Cincinnati.
Joe Block has the recap.
Bryan Reynolds’ hitting streak ended at 17 games, but he extended his on-base streak to 33 games with an eighth-inning walk.
The Pirates’ eighteen blown saves rank in the bottom five in the Major Leagues, with Washington at the very bottom, with 25. The Tigers and A’s are the only other teams with more than the Bucs. On Pirates Insider on WCCS yesterday, general manager Ben Cherington said a trade for bullpen help anytime soon is probably not going to happen.
Cherington says injured players Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwtiz will not be back until sometime next month, and probably not before the All-Star break. Horwitz has a bad hamstring, and Cruz will head to Florida this week to continue his rehab from two broken fingers.
The GM also said that last year’s top draft choice, Seth Hernandez, who’s had a sensational start to his pro career (6-1, 2.02 ERA for Bradenton and Greensboro), won’t be pushed along too quickly in the Pirates’ minor league system.
The Pirates embark on a “patriotic” road trip this Independence Day week, visiting both Philadelphia and Washington over the next seven days. In the opener of a four-game set in Philly tonight, Braxton Ashcraft (7-3, 3.07 ERA) squares off with the Phils’ Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.58 ERA).
It’s a 6:15 airtime, 6:40 first pitch on WCCS.
