PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It wasn't easy, scoreless until the sixth, then back-to-back three run at bats for the Pirates and Dodgers until Daniel Vogelbach hammers a homer as the Bucs go on to win 5-3.
Bucs were the first to score on a Jack Suwinski home run followed two batters later by a Josh VanMeter two-run homer in the sixth. Bucs seemed in control heading to the seventh.
Relief pitcher Chris Stratton walked the first batter, an error by VanMeter, then another walk loaded the bases before Edwin Rios tied the game with a double. Dodgers would re-load the bases but reliever Wil Crowe got a line out and Max Muncy looking on a 3-2 pitch to keep it tied.
One out in the bottom of the seventh and Vogelbach crushed a long homer nearly over the right field bleachers. He admired it for a few seconds before trotting around giving the Bucs the lead. He would thump his chest as he headed into the dugout.
"I thought we had really good at bats," Vogelbach said. "We kept grinding. That's what we do, everybody plays hard and no one gives in. That's a really, really good team that we just won a series against."
A ground-out by Ben Gamel after a VanMeter triple would seal it 5-3.
"Baseball is a game of doing things and then moving on from them real, real quick," VanMeter said of the rollercoaster of HR, error, then triple. "There are things you can't control in this game, but you can always control how you respond. Fortunately, I was able to do it there with the triple."
"They are very resilient, the days that we played the poorest, we have been resilient and bounced back," said Pirates Manager Derek Shelton. "A perfect example is Josh tonight. He kicks a ball that is a double play ball. He comes back, he gets the triple. He gets a hell of a read on a contact play and we are able to extend the lead."
"We knew it was going to be a challenge, to take two out of three from them," VanMeter said. "We can beat anybody. I think that shows a lot about this group. It was a big bounce back win after last night. It shows a lot about the resiliency and character of the guys in this room."
Peters rebound
Coming off his worst appearance of the season giving up four runs on three walks against the Reds on Sunday, Dillon Peters started and allowed only two hits and struck out two with no walks.
"I think it's a combination of a bunch of stuff," Peters said. "I just didn't have my good stuff the other day and today was a different day. It was an awesome series win and an overall great game as a team."
Max Kranick made his second appearance going a strong three scoreless innings allowing a pair of hits, a walk and a strikeout.
David Bednar struck out three in two perfect innings for his fifth save. Wil Crowe got his second win.
Numbers
Up Next
The opening of a four-game series hosting the Reds at 6:35p on Thursday. RHP Connor Overton (0-0. 2.53 ERA) for Cincinnati against Bucs righty JT Brubaker (0-2, 5.68 ERA). The other Pirates starting pitchers over the weekend-Mitch Keller, Zach Thompson and Jose Quintana.
