Pittsburgh Pirates rout Houston Astros 8-1 – MLB Recap
Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Houston Astros 8-1 in the third game of their three-match regular series encounter on Sunday, September 23 at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
Second baseman Josh Harrison showed his valour and proved one of the winning factors for the Pirates. He scored two runs and smashed four hits on his six at-bats while he also maintained his slugging percentage at .362.
“I'm going in there and not trying to do too much," Harrison said.
Left fielder Alex Presley added one run and hammered two hits which also provided a great help to the Pirates who won the game convincingly.
Along with senior batters, the Pirates' pitchers were also dominating as they did not allow too many runs. Instead they kept the Astros in extreme pressure and eventually rattled them with a big margin.
A.J. Burnett tossed eight innings and received one run and four hits. He retired eleven batters and maintained his ERA at 3.53.
"I just want to put my team in a position to win and get us in a good position at the end of the year," A.J. Burnett said.
Later, manager Clint Hurdle commented on starter Burnett as he said, "I thought A.J. set another very good example for everybody today about finishing, Regardless of the environment ... or what's going on around you, his mindset today was to go out put a foot down -- he did that.”
Hurdle added, "We're all in it together, whether you're up or whether you're down or whether you're sideways, we're all tied together, We need to remember that."
Relief pitcher Chad Qualls pitched the important last inning as he helped his team-mate and starter Burnett with enormous focus. He did not receive any run or hit as he struck-out one Astros' hitter on his 5.36 ERA.
On the other hand, Astros' starting pitcher Jordan Lyles disappointed his team as he received three runs and six hits on his four innings spell. Though he struck-out four but his ERA rose to 5.44.
Wesley Wright allowed only run and remained consistent with his 3.31 ERA but still his performance could not save the game for the Astros.
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