The Boston Red Sox defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 – MLB Update
The Boston Red Sox overcame their slack performances in the previous two games to topple the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 at the PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Sunday, June 26.
Having won the first two of the three-game series, the Pirates failed in conquering the Red Sox in the third game to complete a 3-0 whitewash at home.
The pitchers dictated terms in the rather low scoring game. Andrew Miller was the pick of the pitchers, conceding just two runs in the six innings that he pitched in. Over the course, he threw 109 pitches and managed 72 strikes. He earned four strike-outs
to complete his ten for the season and recorded his first win in 2011.
Miller’s counterpart, James McDonald from the Pirates was impressive on the night as well. The lanky pitcher, standing at 6ft 4in, matched Miller, pitching in six innings for just five hits and two runs. However, he was superior on strike-outs, managing
five as compared to Miller’s four. Tim Wood and Daniel Moskos could not carry on the hard work put in by McDonald and together went for two runs in 11 pitches. This proved to be costly in the end in a game which was closely contested. Wood, who has only two
strike-outs this season, lost his second game this season without a single win so far.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia opened the scoring for the Red Sox in the fourth innings. Neil Walker was quick to level things as he added one run for the Pirates in the same innings. McDonald converted his pitching form into his batting, scoring one more for the
Pirates to establish a one-run lead at the end of the fifth innings.
The Red Sox then added three quick runs helped by some tight pitching to seal the victory and avoid their third straight loss. Kevin Youkilis added one run in the sixth innings before Marco Scutaro and David Ortiz added one each in the seventh to take the
score 4-2.
The relief pitchers from Boston were content with their precise pitching. Alfredo Aceves and Daniel Bard held their fifth and 15th games for the season respectively with Jonathon Papelbon pitching in with his brilliant effort in the ninth innings
to seal the win and record his 14th save of the season.
After the game, Miller remained humble on recording his first American League victory since 2007 and said, "I felt like I was just carrying over what I've been working on in the past, and it felt pretty well."
This win puts the Red Sox at a comfortable 45-32 for the season. They came back strong after the first two games to avoid the clean sweep. They now need to maintain this team effort going into the season.
The Pirates are 39-38 now after their two successive wins over the weekend. With their team morale high, it is high time to build a winning streak and improve their win-loss record.
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