Bucs Swept By Indians; Third Time Being Swept In 2020

Bieber struck out 11 through six innings of work. Trevor Williams had a good start for the Pirates, going four innings with five strikeouts and one earned run. 

Early Struggles

The Indians scored in the second inning when Beau Taylor shot a liner to centerfielder, Jarrod Dyson which scored Franmil Reyes.

Colin Moran was ejected in the fourth inning for arguing a strike call with the third base umpire. Moran tried to check his swing and was called out.

The Pirates had a chance to tie the game in the sixth inning with two on and no one out, however, they blew the opportunity. It would have been a massive confidence boost for the Bucs to get a run off of Bieber, however, he shut them down. 

Costly Error

With the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, the Bucs had a chance to alleviate the pressure. However, a slow grounder to Josh Bell was thrown to catcher, Jacob Stallings, attempting to get the runner out at home. Bell threw the ball too far away from the plate, allowing Stallings’ foot to come off the plate before the ball reached him. Stallings didn’t apply any tag, and the Indians’ run counted (after a quick review), giving them a 2-0 lead.

Stallings’ blunder was frustrating, to say the least. Regardless of whether his foot was on the plate, he should have applied the tag. As for Bell’s throw, he needs to be better in high-pressure situations, when there’s a chance to save a run. No excuse for throws like that, and not applying tags.

The Bucs were shutout and swept by the Indians. Lackluster at-bats and fielding errors killed Pittsburgh in game three. They face the Milwaukee Brewers tomorrow night at PNC Park.

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