PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - The Pittsburgh Pirates join the Tampa Bay Rays as the only two teams in the MLB to have 20 or more wins after sweeping a doubleheader with the Washington Nationals Saturday. They have won 10 of their last 11 games.
Bucs bats stay hot:
After a 6-3 game one win of the doubleheader, the Pirates offense ignited in game two, scoring 16 runs and recording 17 hits. There were just two innings in the game where the Pirates didn't score a run. Jack Suwinski had three hits including a grand slam and drove in 5 runs. Carlos Santana drove in three runs with a three hit game as well. To cap off the offensive showing, Miguel Andujar hit his second home run of the day sending a three run home run over the left field wall. The Pirates have now scored 43 runs in their last five games.
"We're playing good baseball," said manager Derek Shelton in his postgame interview. "I think something I was most proud of is that we extended the score in the 7th and 8th inning. Every groundball we hit we ran out like it was a 1-0 game. I'm really proud of our group because that's what we should exemplify here."
Velasquez dazzles again:
Vince Velasquez spun his second straight scoreless outing as he went 6 inning pitched allowing 5 hits and struck out 5 batters. He has now gone 18 straight innings without allowing a run to score. He improved his record to 4-2 on the season and lowered his era to 3.06. The starting pitching for the Pirates now has 18 quality starts for the season.
"I think when you get 18 quality starts, you're gonna be in a lot of games," said Shelton. "We've been in a lot of games because of our starting pitching. It's a credit to those five guys, it's a credit to Oscar and the pitching group because we've really thrown the ball well."
A day of firsts:
Cody Bolton made his Major League debut and recorded his first career strikeout in two scoreless innings pitched.
"Cody came in and did a nice job. We wanted to get him in the game, we were able to get him in the game," said Shelton.
Drew Maggi pinched hit in the top of the 7th inning and got his first Major League hit and RBI as he singled home Jason Delay. Maggi added a second hit in the top of the 9th with a double. He finished the day 2-2.
"Tonight was great," said Maggi. "I'm so glad I got my first hit. I wish I could have done it in Pittsburgh but I'm just so thankful and grateful for everything."
Next On Tap:
The Pirates go for the sweep Sunday with the Nationals as Johan Oviedo will start against Josiah Gray. First pitch at 1:35 on 93.7 The Fan.