Hayes, Duvall rally Virtual Pirates past Cubs


I will be serving as general manager/manager of the Pirates in a 2020 season simulation along with 29 others using Out Of The Park Baseball. Feel free to check here for daily updates. I realize baseball is a lot less important than what is going on in the world today but perhaps it can provide a diversion for a few moments.


PITTSBURGH – Adam Duvall and Ke’Bryan Hayes finally made some contributions for the Virtual Pirates and they came at the right time.

Duvall and Hayes hit run-scoring doubles during a three-run seventh inning as the Virtual Buccos rallied for a 6-4 victory over the Virtual Chicago Cubs on Thursday at Virtual PNC Park.

The Pirates (23-26) avoided being swept in the three-game series and ended their three-game losing streak.

Trailing 4-3, Duvall’s hit off Jon Lester tied the game. Gregory Polanco then put the Pirates ahead with an RBI single and Hayes followed with his two-base hit.

Duvall has gone just 3 for 14 (.214) since being claimed off waivers while Hayes is hitting just .109 in 13 games following his recall from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Duvall, Hayes, Kevin Newman and Erik Gonzalez each had two of the Pirates’ 13 hits. Six different players drove in runs.

Richard Rodriguez (2-0) pitched a perfect seventh inning to get the win. Kyle Crick struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save.

Trevor Williams started and allowed four runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings with four strikeouts, five walks and 106 pitches. The right-hander pitched a four-hit shutout against the New York Mets in his previous start.

Gonzalez’s RBI single in the fourth inning put the Pirates ahead 3-2. The Cubs then pulled in front 4-3 on run-scoring singles by Lester and Anthony Rizzo in the sixth.

Lester (0-6) was tagged for six runs in six innings. The Cubs’ Steven Souza Jr. was 2 for 3 with a double and a home run.

The victory quelled speculation that bench coach Craig Wilson might take on the added duties of player and pitching coach. Wilson, though, is itching to be added to the active roster at some point in the season because he is sitting on 99 career home runs.

The Pirates open a four-game holiday weekend series with the visiting Virtual San Francisco Giants on Friday night. Chris Archer (3-1, 3.38) will pitch for the Virtual Corsairs against Johnny Cueto (0-8, 7.62).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hall of Fame voting becoming more chore than honor

Image
The honor is never lost on me. Sometime just after Thanksgiving every year, the enveloped arrives in the mail from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. Enclosed is my annual Hall of Fame ballot as I am part of the electorate that consists of all members of the Baseball Writers Association of America with 10 years of continuous service. I have been voting for 24 years now and do not take the responsibility lightly. Being elected to the Hall of Fame changes people’s lives and demarcates the great players of the game’s history from the very good. When I get ready to cast my vote, I always pause to appreciate the significance. Voting for the Hall of Fame is something I enjoyed for many years. It was fun to look at the various candidate’s careers – study their statistics, recall personal observations, talk to peers from their playing days – before casting my ballot. However, the fun is being squeezed out of the task with each passing year. So many of the c
Read more

Bob Nutting and PirateFest

Image
A number of people have been in touch on social media or emailed wanting to know why Bob Nutting was not at Piratefest at PNC Park on Saturday morning/afternoon and but at the Pitt-West Virginia game on Saturday night. As a matter of disclosure, I wasn't at Piratefest and haven 't been there for years. I have no interest in it and, from a professional standpoint, don't find any value in attending. Nevertheless, I contacted Pirates spokesman Brian Warecki to ask about Nutting's whereabouts Saturday and he said the owner was on hand for a portion of Piratefest. This  was his response. "Bob was at Piratefest, along with his wife, for a few hours in the morning. He chatted with our players and mingled with season ticket holders." I also followed up by asking why Nutting did not take part in any of the Ask Pirates Management sessions as he has done in other years. This was his Warecki's response: "Ask Pirates management is exactly that, daily
Read more

Playing the Pirates' 2020 season anyway

Image
Hi there, As everyone knows, opening day of the Major League Baseball season was supposed to be on Thursday. However, like most of the rest of the world, the coronavirus pandemic has changed those plans. I have been asked to simulate the season using the game Out Of The Park Baseball 21. I will be the general manager/manager of the Pirates. We will play the original schedule, which means I'll make my managerial debut Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Virtual Tropicana Field. If enough people are interested, I'll post a small blurb on each game. I realize there are more important matters in the world but perhaps it can serve as a diversion for a few minutes. Stay safe, John
Read more