Pirates Shutout by Padres, Suffer Series Sweep
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates saw no success hitting in their series finale vs. the San Diego Padres at PNC Park, suffering a 4-0 shutout and a series sweep.
The Pirates have lost an MLB-leading six shutout games this season and had two this homestand, as they lost 9-0 to the Chicago Cubs on April 29. It also makes it three series sweeps they've lost this season, all coming on the weekend and this the second at home, with the Cleveland Guardians doing so April 18-20.
Pittsburgh has dropped to 12-23 on the season, their worst start to an 162-game season since 2006. It is also nine straight losses vs. the Padres (23-11) dating back to last season.
Left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney made the start for the Pirates and got the first two outs in the first inning, before allowing a double to Padres third baseman Manny Machado.
He then a single to shortstop Xander Bogaerts, with Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes misfielding it, scoring Machado and giving the road team a 1-0 lead.
Padres catcher Elías Días started the second inning with a home run off Heaney, as the former Pirate doubled the lead for his team, 2-0. Pirates left fielder Tommy Pham just missed the catch at the wall, which would've served as a sensational home run grab.
Heaney then allowed a double to center fielder Brandon Lockridge, got right fielder Fernando Tatîs Jr. to pop out, allowed a single to first baseman Luis Arráez, moving Lockridge to third base, then struck out Machado for the second out.
Bogaerts came through again, hitting a double and scoring both Lockridge and Arráez, making it 4-0 to the Padres.
The Pirates got back-to-back singles with one out in the bottom of the second inning from Hayes and Pham, but second baseman Andrew Heaney struckout and Hayes got picked off on the basepaths, ending that scoring opportunity.
Heaney loaded the bases in the top of the fourth inning after getting the first two outs and Pirates manager Derek Shelton took him out after 100 pitches.
Right-handed pitcher Colin Holderman came in for Heaney and got the final out. He would have strong outing, allowing no runs over 2.1 innings of work.
The Pirates had another chance to score in the bottom of the sixth inning, as right fielder Bryan Reynolds walked and then designated hitter Joey Bart hit a ground-rule double, putting two runners on with no outs.
They didn't capitalize as both first baseman Enmanuel Valdez and Hayes struckout, ending the inning.
Pirates rookie Matt Gorski came in as a pinch-hitter for Frazier in the bottom of the seventh inning and would hit a ball into the deep part of center field for his first triple of his MLB career.
Gorski then made a poor decision in the next at-bat, as shortstop Jared Triolo grounded to Machado at third base, and Gorski ran home, making it easy for Machado to throw him out.
Hayes and Gorski both singled in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Pirates again failed to score, suffering another shutout.
The Pirates bullpen put in a solid performance overall, with three scoreless innings from right-handed pitcher Tanner Rainey, who made his Pirates debut, right-handed pitcher Dennis Santana, who came back from the MLB Bereavement List, and left-handed pitcher Joey Wentz.
Pittsburgh will head out on the road for their next series, as they face the St. Louis Cardinals. First pitch from Busch Stadium on May 5 is set for 7:45 p.m. (EST).
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.