Pittsburgh Pirates 3 — New York Yankees 4
The offense scored early and the pitching makes it stick in the first of a doubleheader today.
Hiroki Kuroda got the start for game one and got the first out before second baseman Neil Walker took him deep to right center field for the home run that gives the Pirates the early one-run lead. The Pirates sent Charlie Morton to the mound for the first game and he struggled for the beginning. He started with a walk of Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter would reach on a perfect bunt to third baseman Pedro Alvarez, who had no play on it. Jacoby Ellsbury would be hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. The hottest run producer on the team, Mark Teixeira, would come up and come through. He would hit a deep single to right center field to bring home Gardner and Jeter for a two-run single. Brian McCann would follow with a single of his own to make it a 3-1 game and the first five batters reached before Morton could get the first out of the inning.
While Hiroki Kuroda settled down quickly after the first inning home run, Morton hit another early bump in his start. Kelly Johnson would lead off with a single and during the Zoilo Almonte at-bat, Johnson would steal second base. He advanced to third on the throwing error by catcher Tony Sanchez and he scores on a double to right center field by Brett Gardner.
Four runs would be enough, barely, but it was.
After Kuroda’s first inning, he retired the next nine before a walk of Andrew McCutchen in the fourth inning. He would give up a solo home run to Tony Sanchez in the sixth inning and a second run on a pair of hits to make it a 4-3 game. Hiroki Kuroda allowed three runs on five hits in six innings while walking two and striking out seven.
Insurance runs would be useful if they could be gotten. Unfortunately for the Yankees bats, they struck early and went silent soon after. 16 of the next 17 batters faced were out. The lone batter to reach base, Zoilo Almonte, was picked off soon after he reached base. Morton cruised through seven innings and dealt with just the bad start that put him on the hook.
Matt Daley and Matt Thornton would put together the seventh inning. Adam Warren would get two outs in the eighth before closer David Robertson got the call for the four-out save. Robertson would face four batters and struck out three en route to his eighth save of the season as the Yankees take the first of two today.
Win – Hiroki Kuroda (3-3)
Loss – Charlie Morton (0-6)
Save – David Robertson (8)
Notables
Pirates
*Neil Walker – 2 for 4, R, Solo Home Run (9) in the 1st, 2 RBI (25)
*Tony Sanchez – 1 for 4, R, Solo Home Run (2) in the 5th, RBI (11)
Yankees
*Mark Teixeira – 1 for 3, 2 RBI (22)
*Bret Gardner – 1 for 3, R, BB, 2B, RBI (19)
Current Yankees Record: 23-19
