MLB Roundup: Pittsburgh Pirates surge to win series against Baltimore Orioles 2-1
Game 1: Baltimore Orioles rout Pittsburgh Pirates 8-3
The Baltimore Orioles offence sparked on June 20 to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-3 at PNC Park in the three-game series’ first encounter. The home team could not curb the charged Orioles’ offence which resulted in the team’s failure to prevail.
Baltimore started it all in the first inning with no less than five runs that its hitters drove in. Adam Jones was the first to hit a two-run homer following whom Derrek Lee earned a single, tripling the lead against straining Pittsburgh defence.
Charlie Morton was then subject to hit by Robert Andino and Jake Arrieta who took the score to 5-0 by the end of the first inning. Jake Arrieta, while being good with bat, pitched strong innings to maintain the Orioles’ lead.
Matt Wieters and Mark Reynolds compounded the Pirates’ misery with a single each, taking the lead to 7-0. J.J. Hardy made it eight after Ronny Cedeno scored a single in the second, bringing the score at 8-1.
However, apart from Xavier Paul’s single in the fourth and the second run that Cedeno drove in, the Orioles’ pitchers remained dominant throughout the innings and wrapped up the game with 8-3 victory in the series’ first game.
Game 2: Pittsburgh Pirates hit back with 9-3 win
Honouring the 40th anniversary of 1971 World Series victory, the Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-3 in the series second game on June 21. The PNC Park saw Neil Walker have two hits and driving in three runs as the Pirates put a stop on their
four-game losing streak.
Jose Tabata, Xavier Paul and Garrett Jones masterfully executed their two-runs apiece for the Pirates to win over the otherwise well-built Orioles.
It was Chris Resop who concluded the job in relief after the Pirates’ starter James McDonald failed to complete his five innings.
J.J. Hardy hit an RBI single and Adam Jones went for a two-run homer to bring the Pirates lead down to 5-3 in the fifth, but the offence hit back and made Jeremy Guthrie pay for the seemingly slowing pace of his pitches.
Tim Wood completed the Pittsburgh 9-3 victory and levelled the series by 1-1 as he pitched the shut-out ninth inning.
Game 3: Pittsburgh Pirates overpower the Orioles 5-4
The Pirates maintained their form and beat the Orioles by 5-4 in the three-game series decider on June 22 at the same avenue.
Jose Tabata had a single and a hit, Harrison went for two hits and a run, McCutchen also had a couple of hits and a run, while Wood and McKenry had a single hit each to glean five runs for the Pirates.
Nick Markakis went 3-for-5 with an RBI and J.J. Hardy had two hits, including a two-run double for the Orioles.
Jose Veras and Joel Hanrahan were the relief pitchers to complete the 5-4 win and a magnificent 2-1 series victory for the Pirates at home in front of an anticipated audience.
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