Morning Rundown: Pirates can't complete sweep, Matt Gorski hits walk-off, Ethan Lege multi-hit day
Pirates lose 10-2, Gorski hits walk-off to secure series sweep.
The Pittsburgh Pirates could not complete the sweep of the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, losing 10-2. A two-run home run by Joey Bart represented the only offense the Pirates could generate, although Oneil Cruz picked up a pair of hits, one a double.
He now has 27 doubles on the season. Alika Williams also hit a double.
Jake Woodford had pitched well since being called up, but was beat around to a tune of seven runs (five earned) on nine hits across four innings pitched.
The loss drops the Pirates’ record to 58-65, a game and a half out of fourth place. They begin a three-game series against the Texas Rangers on the road. Luis Ortiz is scheduled to pitch in the series opener.
According to Noah Hiles, the Pirates will have a new face meeting them there, as Billy McKinney will reportedly join them in Texas. McKinney is from Plano, Texas, which is about 40 minutes from Arlington, roster, as Bill, where the Pirates will be playing.
With a chance to win the game and give the Indianapolis Indians a six-game sweep of the St. Paul Saints, one swing of the bat from Matt Gorski sent the crowd home happy.
Gorski’s 18th home run of the season was a walk-off solo shot, giving the Indians a 7-6 win and clinching the sweep. He also picked up a pair of doubles along with the home run.
Henry Davis hit his 13th home run of the season, which tied the game in the eighth innings, paving the way for Gorski’s end-of-game heroics.
Aaron Shortridge allowed five runs (four earned) across 5.1 innings pitched, with Brady Feigl eventually getting the win, his seventh of the season.
Connor Oliver pitched 4.2 innings of one-run ball, striking out five, for the Bradenton Marauders as they wrapped up their series against Dunedin with a win.
Peyton Stumbo and Carlos Castillo came out of the bullpen to keep the Blue Jays off the board, ensuring that two runs from the offense were enough to pull off the win.
Andrew Patrick registered his first professional extra-base hit, and Ethan Lege recorded his first RBI and multi-hit game, going 2-4.
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Top Exit Velocity
Oneil Cruz - PIT - 112.6 mph - Single
Oneil Cruz - PIT - 111.4 mph - Double
Joey Bart - PIT - 110.5 mph - Home Run
Ethan Lege - BRD - 109 mph - Groundout
Matt Gorski - IND - 107.4 mph - Flyout
Top Pitch Velocity
Ben Heller - PIT - 96.2 mph
Ben Heller - PIT - 95.8 mph
Jalen Beeks - PIT - 95.7 mph
Isaac Mattson - IND - 95.2 mph
Jalen Beeks - PIT - 94.8 mph
Most Whiffs
Wilber Dotel - GBO - 15
Connor Oliver - BRD - 9
Emmanuel Chapman - ALT - 8
Grant Ford - ALT - 7
Aaron Shortridge - IND - 6
Ryder Ryan - PIT - 6
Indianapolis Indians - 7 vs St. Paul Saints - 6
Top Hitter - Matt Gorski: 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR
Top Pitcher - Isaac Mattson: 2.1 IP, H, 2 K
Altoona Curve - 2 vs Bowie Baysox
Top Hitter - Matt Fraizer: 1-3, R, BB, 3B
Top Pitcher - JC Flowers: 2 IP, 4 K
Greensboro Grasshoppers - 7 vs Bowling Green Hot Rods - 5
Top Hitter - Termarr Johnson: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, HR
Top Pitcher - Alessandro Ercolani: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 K
Bradenton Marauders - 2 vs Dunedin Blue Jays - 1
Top Hitter - Ethan Lege: 2-4, RBI
Top Pitcher - Carlos Castillo: 3 IP, 2 H, 3 K
In looking over FG's playoff odds, it's somewhat remarkable how quickly the NL's playoff picture has clarified from a few weeks ago when it looked like we were in for a crazy, chaotic, exciting September. But now we have six teams with an 81% chance or higher of making the playoffs and correspondingly only the Mets at 22% have more than an 8% chance. September looks to be mostly about seeding, which after last year doesn't even seem that important. Maybe one of the also-rans goes on a 9-1 stretch or something, but more likely it's just taken ~120 games for the contenders to separate themselves from the pretenders.
Interesting article at the PG regarding Hayes. Makes total sense. Just get the GD surgery now and come back healthy for next season. You can't play baseball with herniated discs.