Pittsburgh Pirates Reach New Heights With Shutout Victory Over Red Sox
By Matt Gajtka
Sep 16, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Neil Walker (18) greets catcher Russell Martin (55) at home plate after Martin hit a two run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Pirates took a risk Tuesday, but it paid off.
Charlie Morton threw five shutout innings in his first start since Aug. 16, Russell Martin and Starling Marte launched long home runs, and the Pirates won for the ninth time in 11 games, 4-0 over the Boston Red Sox at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh (80-70) improved to a season-best 10 games over .500 with its latest victory. The Bucs remained at least 1 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee for the National League’s second wild card, with the Brewers’ result in St. Louis pending.
The Pirates announced Sunday that Morton would take Vance Worley‘s spot in the starting rotation, after the former’s latest simulated game went about as well as could be expected.
Morton’s velocity was still lower than usual Tuesday due to his lingering sports hernia, but he was effective enough with his sinker and curveball to limit Boston (66-85) to four hits.
Morton, who struck out six and walked two, twice escaped unscathed after allowing leadoff doubles. A 4-6-3 double play did the job in the fourth, while a pair of strikeouts held Boston off the board in the fifth. Morton was lifted after 92 pitches, laying more of the burden on the Pirates bullpen than usual.
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Five relievers did the job, though, with the late-inning trio of John Holdzkom, Tony Watson and Mark Melancon finishing the shutout after Bobby LaFromboise and Jared Hughes teaming up for a tidy sixth.
The Pittsburgh bats, particularly potent as of late, didn’t muster much against Boston starter Anthony Ranaudo, but two big swings were enough to power the Pirates to 27-9 since June 26 at PNC Park.
Martin sent a deep two-run drive into the right-center field grandstand in the second inning, crushing an elevated fastball for his 10th of the season. In the sixth, Marte golfed his 12th homer into the Pirates bullpen beyond the left-center field wall for a 3-0 lead. Marte had two hits in his first start since last Thursday (elbow contusion).
In the seventh, Josh Harrison smacked an infield hit and advanced to second on a throwing error by second baseman Mookie Betts. Harrison came around to score on Travis Snider‘s soft single to left.
The opportune hitting helped the Pirates overcome an 0-for-4 night by Andrew McCutchen and the absence of starting shortstop Jordy Mercer, who was scratched due to lower-back stiffness a couple hours before first pitch.
The middle game of this interleague series starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday night, with Pittsburgh ace Francisco Liriano opposing Clay Buchholz.