PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Over the past month, the Pirates’ offense has developed a bad habit of stealing the show one night and then completely disappearing the next. That trend continued Saturday night against the Red Sox, as the Bucs were shut out 4-0 less than 24 hours after racking up eight runs in a comfortable victory the night before.
Despite Jared Jones’ solid outing backing it up, Pittsburgh’s lineup racked up just six total hits and finished the night 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
Jared Jones gives Bucs a chance
It’s been trying times lately for Jones, an arm that the Pirates were eager to welcome back into the rotation in late May. Though he’s shown glimpses of his 2024 self, his campaign has still been riddled by some frustrating starts. He even went as far as saying he’s getting “lit up” back in late June. Before Saturday night, that had also been the case in August.
Across starts on August 4th and 9th versus the Brewers and Mets, Jones allowed a combined 14 hits, 11 earned runs, three homers, and four walks. With no other viable options to turn to, manager Don Kelly threw in Jones against a talented Red Sox lineup regardless. And while the righty wasn’t exactly dominant against Boston, he still did enough to keep his team in it through five innings.
Jones started off strong by sending the Red Sox down in order in the first. After collecting his third punchout, things got a little shaky for a moment when Wilyer Abreu ripped a homer into right field, and Caleb Durbin followed it up with a base hit in the second. But Jones remained composed and controlled the damage with a successful pickoff at first base and one more strikeout to close the frame down 1-0.
The next two innings were stressful for Jones. Faced with two runners in scoring position with just one out in the third, Jones rebounded by logging consecutive Ks to escape the inning unscathed. Forced into the same scenario in the fourth, this time with no outs on the board, Jones once again refused to crumble. He forced Durbin into a groundout, fanned Jarren Duran, and got Andruw Monasterio to fly out, denying yet another golden opportunity for Boston.
A 1-2-3 top of the fifth sent Jones into the dugout with a final line of 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, and 7 Ks through 5.0 frames of work. Jones came into the game in dire need of a respectable appearance. It’s safe to say he enjoyed one.
Sonny Gray has his way
The Pirates knew they were going to have their hands full going up against Sonny Gray, who entered the contest with one of the league’s best records (14-3) and ERA (2.79). Faced with an injured Buccos lineup, it was definitely expected that Gray would have a strong night on the mound. And that he did.
During his seven innings of work, Gray stifled Pittsburgh’s offense with the help of some lights-out fielding behind him. The Pirates didn’t make it as far as third base until the bottom of the fifth, when they came closest to scoring a run with the bases filled. But it didn’t matter. Gray slammed the door by fanning Brandon Lowe to secure the final out in the frame.
Buccos give back
Before Saturday’s game, the Pirates partnered with the Miracle League of Southwestern Pennsylvania (MLSWPA) to put on their annual fantasy camp for over 50 Miracle League athletes. The camp took place at Graham Park in Cranberry, PA, where there is a field designed to make baseball accessible for children and adults with special needs. The camp featured multiple stations focused on different aspects of baseball, such as fielding, pitching, and hitting, which were led by Bucs players, coaches, and executives.
Minors Update
- Triple-A Indianapolis rallied from down 3-0 to defeat Nashville on the road 4-3 in 10 innings.
- Double-A Altoona cruised past Akron in a 12-3 blowout win, which featured ONeil Cruz’s first RBI since beginning his rehab assignment.
- High-A Greensboro won 9-5 at home against Winston-Salem.
- Single-A Bradenton shut out Lakeland 7-0 to snatch a road win.
The Pirates close out their series against the Red Sox Sunday afternoon, with RHP Lake Bachar (1-2, 3.97 ERA) taking on Boston’s LHP Patrick Sandoval (1-1, 3.30 ERA). Paul Skenes was originally going to start for the Bucs, but following Saturday’s loss Kelly announced that Bachar would take Skenes’ place on the bump to give him more time to rest. Dan Zangrilli has the North Shore Tavern Leadoff Show at noon with first pitch set for 1:35pm on 93.7 The Fan.
