PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Growing up rooting for the Dodgers, Jared Jones mowed them down or at least got the key outs as the Pirates take game one of a three game series 1-0 Tuesday night.
Jones started out on fire or at least throwing it. Eight pitches in the first inning were over 100 mph and the swinging strikeout of Shohei Ohtani went 101 miles-an-hour. Jones would go six innings allowing three hits and walking three while striking out six. The 22-year-old righty stranded six runners in the first four innings, but got better as the game went on. He retired the last nine straight including striking out four of the last six.
Accidental homer
They weren’t ready to call him up, it was the circumstances of Ji-Hwan Bae going on the injured list and Michael A. Taylor on paternity leave to where the Bucs needed a centerfielder. Enter Jack Suwinski’s return after only seven games in AAA, first inning against Major League Baseball’s strikeout leader, Suwinski lined a shot over the Clemente Wall for the only run of the game
"You come back in a situation where he'd been struggling before and that first at-bat I believe alleviates a little bit of pressure," said Pirates manager Derek Shelton.
“Yeah, it feels good, just happy I could come and help us get a win today," Suwinski said.
It was Suwinski’s fifth of the season and fifth of his career against the Dodgers in only 13 games.
Bullpen holds
Jones at 100 pitches, but the bottom three of the Dodgers order coming up, Bucs manager Derek Shelton turned to Colin Holderman in the seventh inning. The righty would allow a leadoff double, but kept Gavin Lux stranded there ending the inning with a Mookie Betts flyout.
"No because that's not an easy lineup to get through," Shelton said if he was tempted to bring Jones back out for the seventh inning. "We're talking maybe one of the top three lineups in baseball and he had to grind to get through them. There was no thought of that at all."
Enter Aroldis Chapman, who in May had only two appearances where he didn’t allow a baserunner. Another leadoff hit, Ohtani with a single, but a strikeout, walk, flyout and strikeout of Andy Pages ended the inning.
Now seven straight appearances without giving up a run for Pirates two-time All-Star closer David Bednar, the 12th save of the season
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Glasnow returns
It was Tyler Glasnow’s first game in PNC Park since July 26, 2018 when he came in as a reliever against the Mets and went three innings without giving up an earned run. Glasnow only made the mistake to Suwinski, otherwise six innings, three hits, two walks and nine strikeouts with five of the final six outs by strikeout.
“Then I just sucked every time," Glasnow said of being with the Pirates, "and now I feel like I’m better than I was then. Definitely a stark difference for sure.”
Up Next
Paul Skenes (2-0, 2.45 ERA) pitches Wednesday night against the Dodgers LHP James Paxton (5-0, 3.29 ERA) with Dan Zangrilli hosting the North Shore Tavern Leadoff Show at 5:45 on 93.7 The Fan.
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