Kevin Correia helps Pittsburgh Pirates blank Chicago Cubs 3-0 – MLB Update
Pittsburgh Pirates showed great composure and character as they shut-out the Chicago Cubs 3-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on Monday, September 17 in the finale of their four match series.
Credit should be given to the Pirates for the way they handled difficult situations during the contest. Cubs dominated the Pirates 7-4 in series opener. Their offensive outburst in Game 3 helped them take an impassable 2-1 lead on Sunday. Chicago will be
disappointed with the fact they missed out on an excellent opportunity to complete a deserving series victory.
Pirates’ starting pitcher Kevin Correia produced a masterful performance as he gave up just two hits in seven solid innings to play a key role in deciding the outcome of the clash. Striking-out six batters, he created all sorts of problem for the Cubs’ batting
line-up.
"In a game that starts at 10:40, the hitters are going to be aggressive," Correia said. "It's not going to be a game where you take a lot of pitches, so if you can pound the zone with quality pitches, you're going to have a decent outing usually."
"You can argue this is the best game he's pitched all year -- the length, the efficiency, a couple double plays, a couple minor jams he worked right through and out of," Pirates’ manager Clint Hurdle said. "Very good command. It was the start we needed,
a very good outing by Kevin."
Relief pitchers Jason Grilli also showed great control and accuracy, tossing up the scoreless eight. Closer Joe Hanrahan pitched the perfect ninth for his 36th save of the year.
Starling Marte provided Pirates with an excellent start as he tripled to deep left in the third inning to put his side on the board. Marte has given several impressive performances since making his debut and it will be interesting to see if he can end the
season in a similar fashion to cement his place on Pittsburgh’s big league roster.
Right fielder Jose Tabata also made his presence felt as he doubled to deep centre in the third to extend Pirates’ lead to 3-0.
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