Defensive Miscues, Wasted Opportunities Cost Pirates in 5-1 Loss to Reds

In the Pirates 4-2 win over the Reds in the first game of their doubleheader, they used a well-rounded effort to earn the victory. That was not the case for the Bucs in game two as defensive miscues and wasted opportunities gave Cincinnati a 5-1 win over Pittsburgh.

With two outs in the seventh inning, Josh VanMeter committed an error at second base which extended the inning. The following batter, Michael Papierski, hit a fly ball in between VanMeter and Ben Gamel that should have been caught, but wasn’t.

The order flipped over and Jonathan India shot a base hit the other way that plated Nick Senzel and put the Reds ahead 2-1.

The only earned run on the night for Wilson was a solo homerun off the bat of Tyler Naquin which tied the game up 1-1.

Outside of the Naquin homer, Wilson was excellent on the mound for the Bucs. He worked 6.2 innings, which tied a career-high. Four runs went on Wilson’s line, but only one of those was earned. He allowed seven hits, didn’t walk a batter and punched out four.

The inning continued after Wilson was taken out, and Gamel attempted to make a diving catch on a ball hit by Brandon Drury but couldn’t come up with it. Drury was credited with a two-run triple. Tommy Pham followed with an RBI-single up the middle, putting Cincinnati ahead 5-1.

Daniel Vogelbach drove in Gamel in the third inning to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. The base hit was part of a three-hit night for the Bucs DH, which also included a double.

As a team, the Pirates had just one hit in eight bats with runners in scoring position.

The Pirates head to Milwaukee for a weekend series with the Brewers beginning Friday night. JT Brubaker (2-7, 4.28 ERA) will faceoff with Aaron Ashby (1-6, 4.60 ERA).

Takeaways

• Wilson’s Resurgence: Since being recalled by the Pirates, Wilson has made a pair of starts and has gone at least six innings in each of those outings. In his first start against Milwaukee, Wilson yielded a pair of runs over those six frames and picked up four strikeouts. After tossing 6.2 innings of one-run ball in this one, Wilson has a 2.13 ERA and has looked much more comfortable and composed on the mound as opposed to earlier in the season.
• DH DV: All year long, Vogelbach has given the Pirates steady production as the club’s designated hitter after signing as a free agent in March. Vogelbach has really been hot over the last 11 games as the slugger has posted an average of .419 (13 for 31) with a pair of doubles and three homeruns. His three-hit performance on Thursday night was the third time this season he has collected at least three hits in a game.
• On The Road: The Pirates will play their fourth game in the third city in as many days on Friday night against the Brewers. The Bucs will then head to Miami followed by Colorado as part of an 11-game road trip. The Bucs won’t be back at PNC Park until July 22 when the Marlins come to town.