Gameday 137: Oviedo and Pirates Go For the Sweep in St. Louis

Late heroics by Joshua Palacios keep winning streak alive

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Sep 03, 2023

It was a tough start to the game for the Pittsburgh Pirates, with opener Thomas Hatch giving up three earned runs in his 2.1 IP.

The Pirates offense fought back against the St. Louis Cardinals, taking a 5-4 lead in the sixth by way of a Miguel Andujar RBI double and later in the inning a Ji-Hwan Bae RBI single.

After the Cardinals took the lead once again in the seventh when Colin Selby’s outing began with a single then two-run homerun by rookie Jordan Walker, it set the table for another dramatic late inning showdown.

With one out and Andrew McCutchen on first after a hit-by-pitch, manager Derek Shelton opted to pinch hit Joshua Palacios for Connor Joe. The strategy worked, when Palacios whipped a 3-1 fastball into the right field stands at 104.8 MPH for a two-run shot and 7-6 lead. As Justice De Los Santos mentioned, this was Palacios’ first hit on a low and inside pitch all season.

Second half David Bednar wanted to keep fans on their toes, allowing the first two batters to reach. He was then able to finish off the game, after getting a sac bunt out, strike out, and ground out.

Pirates have now won five in a row and will look to continue adding on to last season’s win total of 62.

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