Pittsburgh Pirates Shut Out Chicago White Sox For Second Night In A Row
By Larry Snyder
For the fifth time in six games the Pittsburgh Pirates shut out their opponent as they defeated the Chicago White Sox Tuesday night 3-0 at PNC Park. The last time the Bucs hoisted zeroes in three straight contests was 1976 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Some might call it a case of “monkey see, monkey do.” Others would say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery as the Pirates starting rotation try to keep up with one another. Over the course of the last 65 1/3 innings, the Jolly Roger’s rotation has given up a total of five earned runs in nine matchups. They have put together an aggregate ERA of 0.69.
Charlie Morton kept the ChiSox offense off the scoreboard by hurling seven scoreless innings. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound righty allowed a total of just four hits while walking one batter, and striking out four. The 31-year-old Morton threw 65 of his 94 pitches for strikes against 26 hitters.
Since coming back on May 25 from hip surgery, the Flemington, New Jersey native is a perfect 5-0 and reduced his ERA to 1.62. Morton joins Gerrit Cole, who has a 1.71 ERA, and A.J. Burnett, who owns a 1.89 ERA, to make three Pirate starters with sub-2.00 ERAs.
Pittsburgh’s bullpen also remains at the top of their game, as Tony Watson did not permit a hit in the eighth. The 6-foot-4, 227-pound lefty delivered seven of his 14 pitches for strikes in taking on four Chicago hitters. Mark Melancon answered the call in the ninth and collected his 21st save by firing six of his eight pitches for strikes against a trio of batters. The 30-year-old righthander kept pace with Watson as he did not permit a hit either.
Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle did tell everyone on the team’s web site, “No one is gonna get cut if they don’t throw a shutout.”
The Pirates put up their first run in the third when Andrew McCutchen singled to left center off White Sox starter Jose Quintana that scored Starling Marte. The 5-foot-10, 188-pound center field went 2-for-3 at the plate on the evening.
Pittsburgh Pirates
In the home half of the fourth, Sean Rodriguez, who also went 2-for-3, claimed his third home with a 394-foot blast to deep left to make it 2-0 in favor of the Bucs.
Francisco Cervelli added his second home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth when he sent a 415-foot shot to left center. Meanwhile, opposing hitters have not scored a run with the 6-foot-1, 210-pound catcher taking care of business behind the plate for 51 innings and counting.
Quintana surrendered three earned runs on nine hits over six innings for the White Sox. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound lefthander hurled 70 of his 112 pitches for strikes in facing 27 hitters. It was his seventh loss against three victories so far this season.
For the second night in a row, the White Sox could not generate any offense as they left two runners in scoring position and a total of six men on base. Adam Eaton, Jose Abreau, Melky Cabrera, and Geovany Soto had one hit apiece.
The Pirates’ Starling Marte, who contributed two hits, continues to make his case to be at the All-Star Game in Cincinnati as he is batting .600 over his last five games.
Up Next: The Pirates head to U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago Wednesday to begin another two-game series with White Sox. The Boys with the Pale Hose will hand the ball to 30-year-old John Danks. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound lefthander has a record of 3-6 with a 5.29 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP.
The Pirates will send 27-year-old lefthander Jeff Locke (3-3, 4.90 ERA/1.50 WHIP) to the hill. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. and the contest will be on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.
From The Clipboard: The game lasted 2:44 and there were 28,413 in attendance at PNC Park….Coming into Tuesday night’s contest, McCutchen is hitting .355 in interleague play since the beginning of the 2012 season…The Pirates have won five of their last six road games and have put up an 8-3 mark in their last 11…After the two-game set on the South Side of the Windy City, the Bucs come back east to Washington D.C. for a three-game series with the Nationals.
Next: Vasquez Vs. Omotoso this Sunday at the MGM Grand in Vegas