WP: Chad Kuhl
LP: Jimmy Nelson
SV: Tony Watson
The Pirates jumped out to an early lead once again, and recorded another workmanlike victory in Milwaukee. That's six wins in a row at Miller Park, this streak coming after a string of ten consecutive losses there.
Last night, the story on offense was Josh Bell and Adam Frazier getting on base. Tonight, the story was Andrew McCutchen and Sean Rodriguez staying hot and driving in runs. 'Cutch homered (24) in the first and has hit .400 with 12 hits and 12 RBI over his last seven games. S-Rod knocked in a pair in the first and homered in the fourth, and has hit .301 over his last 30 games, and .333 over his last 15.
Gregory Polanco had two hits, which is nice to see, as he has been struggling of late. He's hit just .235 over his last 30 games. Hopefully this is just a minor slump; Greg is a huge part of this team moving forward.
Chad Kuhl turned in a very solid start, giving up just five hits and one run over six innings. The Pirates will take that line any day. Meaningless game in September in Milwaukee, Wild Card Game at PNC. Six innings, one run is solid. Kuhl will keep getting looks here down the stretch and this will probably put him in a pretty good position for Spring Training.
The Bullpen had another spotless night. Juan Nicasio, Felipe Rivero, and Watson each pitched a scoreless inning. They surrendered just two hits between the three of them. This is a big reason why a six inning start is acceptable for this team. The 'pen can lock it down if you can hold off until the seventh.
The Pirates currently sit 3.5 games back of the second Wild Card spot. The Mets and Cardinals are currently tied for that spot. Even after gaining a game tonight, the Pirates' chances remain extremely slim. However... if they can gain a game over the next eight, they will hold their fate in their own hands in St. Louis.
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