Pirates Outlast Blue Jays in Contentious Affair
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates won their series opener over the Toronto Blue Jays at PNC Park, 5-2, in a game that saw tempers flare.
The Pirates win their second game in the last four, in between back-to-back defeats to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Aug. 16-17, and just their second game in the last nine games, with a sweep defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field, Aug. 11-13, and back-to-back defeats to the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park, Aug. 9-10.
Pittsburgh improves to 53-73 overall and 35-29 at home, while Toronto falls to 73-53 overall and 31-32 on the road.
Pirates right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes threw a perfect first inning and then struck out the first two batters of the second inning, showing his dominance early on.
Skenes then gave up back-to-back singles to third baseman Ernie Clement and left fielder Nathan Lukes. Lukes then stole second base, as the Blue Jays had runners in scoring position, but Skenes struck out catcher Tyler Heineman, keeping it scoreless.
Second baseman Nick Gonzales ledoff the bottom of the second inning with a single, shortstop Jared Triolo walked with one out and then center fielder Alexander Canario broke an 0-for-21 streak with a single, scoring Gonzales and putting the Pirates up 1-0.
Skenes gave up a leadoff single to second baseman Andrés Giménez, got a grounder from designated hitter George Springer, with Giménez out at second base, then right fielder Addison Barger hit a double, moving Springer to third base and putting two Blue Jays runners on with one out in the top of the third inning
Pirates third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa made a great leaping effort for a ground out off of first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., which scored Springer and tied the game for Toronto, 1-1.
Skenes then allowed a single to shortstop Bo Bichette, as the Blue Jays took a 2-1 lead, before striking out center fielder Daulton Varsho to end the inning.
That inning for Skenes ended a 30.1 inning scoreless streak and a 33.1 inning streak without giving up an earned run at home, last doing so vs. the Philadelphia Phillies on June 8 and vs. the Houston Astros on June 3, respectively.
First baseman Spencer Horwitz led off the bottom of the third inning with a single and then left fielder Tommy Pham singled as well, putting runners on the corners for the Pirates.
Right fielder Bryan Reynolds hit a grounder to Guerrero, who threw it to Heineman at home, but he dropped it, as Horwitz came and scored, tying the game up at 2-2.
Gonzales grounded into a double play, with Pham safe at third base, designated hitter Andrew McCutchen walked and then shortstop Jared Triolo almost made it to first base safely, if not for a great stretch from Guerrero, keeping the score level between Pittsburgh and Toronto.
Skenes would throw three more scoreless innings and finished with a strong start for the Pirates, giving up five hits, two walks and two earned runs over six innings pitched, while posting eight strikeouts over 96 pitches.
The latter part of the game saw tensions rise, with home plate umpire Mark Ripperger ejecting Blue Jays manager John Schneider in the top of the seventh inning, after he argued a third strike call.
Pirates catcher Henry Davis led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a double, moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt from Kiner-Falefa and then scored on a wild pitch from Blue Jays left-handed pitcher Brandon Litle, putting the home team up 3-2.
Pinch-hitter Liover Peguero walked in the next at-bat and then made it to second base on a throwing error from Little on the pick-off attempt.
Pham walked on four pitches and got into an altercation with Heineman after his bat flip, which saw both teams' benches and the bullpens clear, but no ejections occurred.
Peguero and Pham stole third base and second base, respectively, but the Pirates didn't add onto their lead, as both Reynolds and Gonzales struck out.
Springer led off the top of the eighth inning with a single, but Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Kyle Nicolas forced Barger into a double-play and Ty France into a grounder, keeping the home team ahead.
Triolo walked with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, then Canario made it safely on a fielder's choice, which eventually moved Triolo to third base after Blue Jays right-handed pitcher Seranthony Domínguez committed a throwing error.
Canario stole second base and then made it to third base on the throwing error from Heineman, scoring Triolo. Davis added a run on a sacrifice fly, scoring Canario and putting the Pirates up 5-2.
Right-handed relief pitcher Dennis Santana threw a scoreless ninth inning, securing his eighth save of the season and a Pirates win.
The Pirates will look to win the series against the Blue Jays in the second game on Aug. 19. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.