Tucker homers in debut, Pirates top Giants 3-1 in 5 innings
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cole Tucker’s day began with him frantically packing up what he could in his Indianapolis apartment in the middle of the night, grabbing a 5 a.m. flight to Pittsburgh with fellow Pirates call-up Bryan Reynolds and trying not to be overwhelmed by the prospect of his major league debut.
It ended with a 431-foot homer into shrubs beyond the center field fence at PNC Park, an unlikely curtain call, a series of selfies in a downpour, 510 unread text messages (and counting) and a rain-shortened 3-1 Pirates victory over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday that left the 22-year-old both elated and exhausted.
Tucker admitted he didn’t sleep one bit after getting the call around 1 a.m. telling him he was headed to the big leagues after Pittsburgh lost starting shortstop Erik Gonzalez to a broken collarbone following a collision with center fielder Starling Marte on Friday night.
Funny, the rookie didn’t look a bit tired when he turned on a 91 mph sinker from Derek Holland (1-3) and deposited it between the “T” and the “E” in the “Pirates” bush for a two-run shot in the fifth that put Pittsburgh ahead to stay.
The team’s first-round pick in the 2014 draft kept it together until rounding second, when he saw his teammates celebrating in the dugout and the crowd on its feet. He made the “I Love You” sign to his family in the stands and — after some prodding — stepped back onto the field for a curtain call.
Not bad for a self-proclaimed “skinny, not home-run-hitter guy.”
“It was loud man, people were screaming,” Tucker said. “It was really, really cool. I might never do that again in my life. But to say that I did that and for my family to be here to see that and to introduce myself to this city and this club in that fashion is like, storybook.”
An arrival that gave the Pirates a welcome jolt after losing Gonzalez for at least two months and Marte for 10 days and possibly more after they smacked into each other at full speed while trying to track down a fly ball to center field. Marte is dealing with bruises to both his abdomen and right leg, while Gonzalez will have his left arm in a sling indefinitely.
For a day anyway, the NL Central-leading Pirates overcame their absences thanks in part to the kid with the shaggy hair and the palpable joy, the one who became the first Pittsburgh player to homer in his first big league game since Marte did it on July 26, 2012, against Houston.
“I didn’t show up thinking, oh, I’m stressed thinking Marte got hurt or Erik got hurt or what have you,'” Tucker said. “But it definitely felt like we needed a pick-me-up today, losing two of our boys. So it was sweet to go out and do that.”
Reynolds, acquired from the Giants in a January 2018 trade that sent Andrew McCutchen to San Francisco, laced a single off Holland in the fourth for first major league hit. Jung Ho Kang added his third home run and Jameson Taillon (1-2) allowed one run on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts to win for the first time in five starts this season for the Pirates, who have won five straight.
Steven Duggar laced an RBI single off Taillon in the fifth to tie it, but Tucker’s shot off Holland in the bottom of the inning — one pitch after Tucker stepped out of the box because he was startled by a lightning bolt that flashed over the city skyline — was quickly followed by a delay of 3 hours, 8 minutes, before the game was called. The Giants have dropped four straight and five of six.
“If it wasn’t for bad luck, right now we wouldn’t have any,” San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. “That’s how things have been going.”
Holland struck out seven in five innings but Pittsburgh punished his mistakes. Kang crushed a 79 mph breaking ball and sent it well into the seats in left field leading off the fourth. Pablo Reyes started the bottom of the fifth with a walk, moved to second on Taillon’s sacrifice and trotted home on Tucker’s memorable swing.
Asked if he had a problem with Tucker coming out for a curtain call — one Tucker made while Holland was in the middle of striking out Kang — Holland shrugged.
“The kid is living in the moment,” Holland said. “It’s a major league debut and he hit a homer. Good for him. It’s not what I wanted. That’s for sure.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: Held 2B Adam Frazier out of the lineup with back spasms. … RHP Jordan Lyles played catch and should be ready for his next start. Lyles took a line drive off his pitching hand against the Giants on Friday.
UP NEXT
The weekend series concludes Sunday when Chris Archer (1-0, 2.00 ERA) faces San Francisco’s Dereck Rodriguez (3-3, 3.63).
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Lyles, Marte, González injured in Pirates’ win over Giants
By ALAN SAUNDERS Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pirates right-hander Jordan Lyles expects to make his next start after an injury scare Friday night.
It’s not so certain if center fielder Starling Marte and shortstop Erik González will be so lucky.
Lyles cruised through six innings before taking a line drive off his pitching hand, Marte and González were pulled after a collision in the field, and short-handed Pittsburgh beat the San Francisco Giants 4-1.
Lyles (2-0) continued his hot start, striking out six and allowing four hits in a scoreless outing that dropped his ERA to a major league-best 0.53. His hand was bruised by Joe Panik’s line drive, which González snagged for an inning-ending double play.
Lyles believes he was able to escape without serious damage.
“I got clipped on a couple fingers,” he said. “In between innings, it just started to swell up a little bit. I felt like we might’ve been better off with another guy out there. I just lost a little feeling, but we’re good to go. We did some tests and we’re good to go. I’ll be ready for my next start.”
In the eighth, Marte charged from center on a softly hit ball by Yangervis Solarte and slammed into González. González walked off, with trainers attending to his left shoulder, which took the brunt of the collision. Marte took longer to get to his feet and was driven off the field on a cart. The team did not provide an update on the status of either player.
Manger Clint Hurdle was not clear as to what caused the collision.
“The last thing I’m going to do is assess blame,” he said. “Sometimes, when you get in those situations, both guys could be calling for the ball simultaneously.”
The Pirates have eight players already on the injured list but haven’t exactly been hampered. They hold the best winning percentage in the NL with an 11-6 record.
Pittsburgh got all of its runs against Madison Bumgarner (1-3) in the first inning. Francisco Cervelli had a two-run double, and Pablo Reyes and JB Shuck added RBI singles.
Bumgarner allowed just two more hits over his final five innings. He struck out seven. He pointed to a two-out walk issued to Jung Ho Kang as the big issue in the first.
“I don’t want to give them a free baserunner out there,” he said. “That’s what we did, and he scored.”
Manager Bruce Bochy thought his team could have done more to pick up its ace. The only San Francisco run came when Buster Posey singled home Solarte in the eighth.
“He bounced back very well,” Bochy said. “He gave us five needed innings after that because we’ve used the ‘pen quite a bit. Hey, he gave us a chance. We’ve got to get these bats going. One run today, not scoring early again is making every game an uphill climb for us.”
The Giants’ next-best scoring opportunity was snuffed out in the second when Brandon Crawford tried to score on a flyball to right, but Melky Cabrera’s throw beat him easily.
Felipe Vázquez struck out the side in the ninth for his sixth save.
NEW LOOK
Cervelli’s two-out double ended an 0-for-24 skid. Cervelli grew a goatee to help change things up in the slump. It took an eight-pitch battle with Bumgarner before he finally broke through.
“I’ve got to keep it now,” he said with a smile.
TRAINER’S ROOM
?Pirates: INF Adam Frazier did not play due to back spasms. … OF Lonnie Chisenhall (broken finger) began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis, going 0 for 3. Hurdle said he’s expected to work in left field, right field, at first base and possibly at third base.
UP NEXT
Giants: LHP Derek Holland (1-2, 4.09 ERA) is scheduled to start on Saturday. He’s averaged 11 strikeouts per nine innings through four starts.
Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon (0-2, 2.43) will make his fifth start of the season. He’s 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in three career starts against San Francisco.
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Pirates top Tigers in 10 innings again, 3-2
By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer
DETROIT (AP) — At this point, Clint Hurdle is probably used to managing for more than nine innings.
Colin Moran hit an RBI single in the top of the 10th, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Wednesday night. It was the second straight night Hurdle’s Pirates beat Detroit in 10 innings, and it was the sixth extra-inning game already this season for Pittsburgh. Hurdle has guided the Pirates to a 4-2 record in those.
“I’ve been fortunate to have some experience to draw upon, and coaching for some men that had some experience,” Hurdle said. “I’ve had some men that I’ve been able to work with and watch. Sometimes, more than anything, you need to act like you know what you’re doing.”
Spencer Turnbull allowed two hits in six innings for Detroit, but he was denied his first career win after reliever Joe Jiménez loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth. Daniel Stumpf relieved Jiménez and gave up a tying sacrifice fly to Josh Bell.
Pittsburgh star Starling Marte was beaned by Jiménez during that eighth inning, but he remained in the game and hit a single in the 10th.
The game was played in rainy conditions, and Tigers left fielder Christin Stewart slipped and fell while catching Bell’s flyball in the eighth. Stewart stayed in for his plate appearance in the bottom of the inning, then left with a right quad injury.
In the middle of the eighth, there was an announcement telling fans to leave the seating area because of severe weather in the area, but the teams played on. Eventually, fans were told they could return, and there were plenty of good seats available down near the field.
Adam Frazier led off the 10th with a double off Buck Farmer (1-1), and Marte and Moran followed with singles, giving the Pirates the lead. Nick Burdi (2-1) pitched a perfect ninth, and Felipe Vázquez finished for his fifth save in five chances.
“Obviously, it’s a welcome challenge when you’re playing close games every day,” Moran said. “That means you’re in every game, and you’ve got a chance to win.”
Turnbull allowed only an unearned run in the fourth in his seventh career start.
“I was pretty happy with myself, although I had one stretch in the middle that wasn’t good,” Turnbull said. “I was able to get it back, though. I was sailing a few pitches, but I made an adjustment and pretty much started hitting my spots again.”
Pittsburgh starter Trevor Williams allowed two runs in six innings.
Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. With two outs, Detroit shortstop Ronny Rodríguez couldn’t handle Jung Ho Kang’s hard grounder, letting it past for an error. Bell came home from second on that play.
The Tigers pushed across two runs in their half of that inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Rodríguez lifted a fly to left. Jason Martin made the catch, but his throw home was a bit off line, and Miguel Cabrera was safe on a close play.
John Hicks followed with an RBI single to left that landed in front of Martin, who appeared to get a late break on the ball.
Pittsburgh has won nine of 12.
SCARY MOMENT
Jiménez, making his 100th career appearance, gave up a single and a walk before hitting Marte with a pitch that may have glanced off the Pittsburgh slugger’s shoulder but also appeared to hit him around the left ear flap on his helmet. He was slow getting up but stayed in.
“They’re always horrible,” Hurdle said. “We’ve obviously been through a few of them now, both with shots off the mound and shots at the plate.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: Detroit has lost LHP Matt Moore for the season after he had knee surgery. Manager Ron Gardenhire updated Moore’s status before the game.
UP NEXT
Pirates: Pittsburgh has Thursday off before starting a home series with San Francisco. RHP Jordan Lyles (1-0) starts for the Pirates against LHP Madison Bumgarner (1-2) on Friday night.
Tigers: Detroit hosts a four-game set against the Chicago White Sox. RHP Tyson Ross (1-2) takes the mound for the Tigers on Thursday against RHP Ivan Nova (0-2).
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Marte’s homer in 10th inning lifts Pirates over Tigers 5-3
By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer
DETROIT (AP) — Starling Marte dropped down a sacrifice bunt in the fifth inning of Pittsburgh’s game against Detroit. Not exactly the norm for the slugging outfielder — but a sign of how much he’s struggled early this season.
Later, with the score tied in the 10th, it was time to swing away.
Marte’s two-run homer lifted the Pirates to a 5-3 victory over the Tigers on Tuesday night. It was only the second home run of the season for Marte, who is hitting .213.
“You saw him take the game in his own hands earlier and put down a bunt. There’s no bunt sign on. He wanted to bunt,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “He put down the bunt the one time, and then had a couple punchouts. And then, what a sweet swing.”
Jung Ho Kang also went deep for Pittsburgh, which blew a 3-0 lead but recovered to win when Marte hit a two-out drive off Shane Greene (0-1). Detroit’s closer hadn’t allowed a run all season.
“Breaking ball,” Marte said. “Slider, I think. Gave me a pitch right in the middle. Didn’t try to do too much. Just tried to hit the ball up the middle.”
Keone Kela (1-0) gave up a tying single by Jeimer Candelario in the ninth, but Nick Kingham was able to close out the Tigers in the 10th for his first career save.
Pittsburgh starter Joe Musgrove permitted his first two earned runs of the season but was otherwise impressive. He yielded six hits and a walk while striking out six in seven innings.
Tigers starter Matthew Boyd struck out the side in the first but eventually allowed three runs in seven innings.
Pittsburgh opened the scoring on an RBI infield single by Pablo Reyes in the second. With runners on first and third and two outs, Reyes hit a weak grounder to first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who looked to throw to second for a force, only to realize he had no play there. That initial reaction also cost him any chance of a play at first.
The Tigers wasted an opportunity in the third when Gordon Beckham hit a leadoff double and Grayson Greiner followed with a single. Beckham was sent home on Greiner’s hit and was thrown out at the plate by Reyes from left field.
“When the ball is hit to the left side, you freeze for a second to make sure it gets through, because you don’t want to run into an out,” Beckham said. “We wanted to force the issue and he made a great throw.”
Kang’s two-run homer in the fourth made it 3-0. He’s just 6 for 42 on the season, but two of those hits are home runs.
The Tigers scored two runs in their half of the fourth. Cabrera came home on a passed ball, and Christin Stewart hit an RBI double.
Musgrove had allowed no earned runs in 15 1/3 innings entering the game.
Pittsburgh closer Felipe Vázquez, who pitched two innings at Washington on Sunday, was given the night off.
FAMILIAR FACE
Josh Harrison, who went from the Pirates to the Tigers in the offseason via free agency, went hitless against his former team.
“I’ve got guys over there that I played with, a lot of good friendships, but there’s no added motivation or anything,” Harrison said before the game. “As far as I’m concerned, they’re another opponent — trying to win a series.”
Detroit also added former Pittsburgh infielder Jordy Mercer, but he’s on the injured list right now after straining his quad.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: Reinstated RHP Kyle Crick (right triceps) from the 10-day injured list and optioned INF Kevin Kramer to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Tigers: Nicholas Castellanos (toe) played for the first time since Wednesday, going 1 for 5 as the DH.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Trevor Williams (1-0) starts Wednesday night in the finale of this two-game series. Williams threw six no-hit innings in a win at Detroit last April.
Tigers: Spencer Turnbull (0-2) takes the mound for Detroit.
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Martin hits RBI double in 9th, Pirates stop Nationals 4-3
WASHINGTON (AP) — Faced with the based loaded, two outs and one of baseball’s hottest hitters at the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, there was nowhere Felipe Vázquez wanted to be more than on the mound at Nationals Park.
The Pittsburgh Pirates relief ace then coaxed a flyball from Anthony Rendon to cap a two-inning outing Sunday and preserve a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals.
“I like that excitement,” Vázquez said. “He’s a good hitter right now and he’s been hitting the ball everywhere. For me, that’s a challenge. I take every hitter like him as a challenge.”
Rookie Jason Martin’s ground-rule double in the ninth inning off Wander Suero (1-1) scored Josh Bell to provide the go-ahead run for the Pirates.
“I was trying to locate it a little differently,” Suero said of the curveball Martin hit. “I was trying to get it on the dirt for him to chase it. Unfortunately, I hung it just a little bit and he made contact.”
That set up Vázquez (1-0), who pitched a scoreless eighth, to finish out the victory. He loaded the bases on a single, a walk and Adam Eaton’s bunt single with one out, but struck out Howie Kendrick.
That brought up Rendon, who is hitting .400 with six homers in 55 at-bats. On the sixth pitch, Rendon lofted a fly to center to end the game and secure Pittsburgh’s first series victory at Nationals Park since 2013.
“I made my own jam, so I had to get out and I worked my way through,” Vázquez said.
Vázquez, who pitched parts of two seasons for Washington before he was dealt to Pittsburgh in 2016, blossomed into an All-Star last year. He has yet to allow a run in 8 2/3 innings this season.
“The guy is incredibly talented,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “When you see him at 100 on his 42nd pitch, and basically you saw the velocity trend up throughout the outing.”
“Just the focus, that competitive spirit, and you’re going against a guy with a 10-game streak of extra base hits and he got a hit earlier and the bases are loaded. It’s all good stuff, and he loves those situations,” he said.
Washington starter Max Scherzer allowed three runs and seven hits while working a season-high eight innings. He struck out seven. He gave way to Suero, who walked Bell to lead off the ninth and moved to second on Colin Moran’s grounder.
With two outs, Martin hit a ground-rule double to left for his second major league RBI.
“He got some big outs and then he just couldn’t finish that last pitch,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said.
The inning compounded Washington’s early-season relief woes. The Nationals entered the day with the worst bullpen ERA in the majors and it rose to 7.75.
Pittsburgh starter Jameson Taillon gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings.
Rendon extended his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games with a single in the sixth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: OF Gregory Polanco (left shoulder) had two hits and drove in two runs Saturday in his first rehabilitation appearance at Triple-A Indianapolis. … RHP Dovydas Neverauskas (oblique strain) had two strikeouts in a scoreless inning Saturday for Indianapolis. He’s thrown three scoreless innings during three rehab appearances at Indianapolis and Class A Bradenton.
Nationals: Martinez said 1B Matt Adams, who twisted his ankle Saturday while stepping on Pittsburgh RHP Chris Archer’s foot, was available to play Sunday.
ARCHER DROPS APPEAL
Archer dropped his appeal and began serving a five-game suspension for setting off a benches-clearing altercation on April 7. Archer threw a fastball behind Cincinnati’s Derek Dietrich, who had stood and watched a long home run in his previous at-bat. Archer, who pitched seven innings Saturday against Washington, will make his next start April 21 at home against San Francisco.
UP NEXT
Pirates: Pittsburgh has Monday off. It begins a two-game series at Detroit on Tuesday as RHP Joe Musgrove (1-0, 0.00 ERA) starts against the Tigers for the first time.
Nationals: After an off day Monday, RHP Stephen Strasburg (1-0, 5.40) starts Tuesday as Washington begins a three-game series at home against San Francisco.
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Eaton, Kendrick homer in 8th, Nats rally past Pirates 3-2
BOBBY BANCROFT Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Howie Kendrick is quickly making up for lost time.
Limited to only five games last season because of a torn Achilles and slowed this spring by a hamstring injury, the 35-year-old Kendrick is off to a fast start for the Washington Nationals.
He’s 6 for 10, including a home run Saturday that sent the Nationals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2.
After Adam Eaton’s two-out, two-strike homer in the eighth inning tied it, Kendrick connected on the next pitch.
“Following him up right there I was just like all right I want to get a pinch that I can get a drive,” Kendrick said. “Wasn’t necessarily thinking trying to hit a homer or anything like that. It just happened that way.”
Kendrick started his second game of the season and his shot off Pirates reliever Richard Rodriguez (0-1) was his second homer of the year. The second baseman is now in his 14th season.
Eaton finished with three hits as the Nationals denied Pittsburgh its first series win in Washington since 2013. The teams finish the three-game set on Sunday.
Wander Suero (1-0) pitched a perfect eighth and Sean Doolittle escaped his own first-and-second, one-out jam for his first save.
Melky Cabrera hit his first home run of the season, tagging Anibal Sanchez to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead in the fifth.
Pirates starter Chris Archer struck out nine and allowed one run in seven innings in his third start of the season. He also singled in the seventh for his first hit of the season.
“It’s frustrating,” Archer said. “We played a great game. Our margin for error is small.”
Archer pitched while appealing his five-game suspension from Major League Baseball for setting off a bench-clearing fracas at PNC Park last Sunday. He threw a fastball behind Cincinnati’s Derek Dietrich, who stood and admired a long home run in his previous at-bat.
There were five ejections, but Archer wasn’t tossed. He can keep playing until there’s a final ruling on his appeal.
Sanchez lasted seven innings, allowing two runs off seven hits while striking out two. He has yet to win in three starts since joining Washington from Atlanta in the offseason as a free agent.
NATIONALS RECORD
Anthony Rendon doubled to break a Nationals record with at least one-extra base hit in 10 straight games. He had shared the mark with Ryan Zimmerman. Rendon also extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
THIRD BASE SWITCH
Colin Moran earned the start at third base for Pittsburgh over Jung Ho Kang a day after hitting the go-ahead home run in the 10th inning as a pinch-hitter.
Kang entered Saturday batting just .108 (4 for 37) in 12 games. He then struck out in the ninth with two runners on.
He’s trying to figure out how to do well again,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “I’m anticipating Moran will play again tomorrow and that will give (Kang) a three game break to work on some things in extended work time.
Moran went 1 for 4 with an RBI.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: RHP Justin Miller (lower back strain) was placed on the 10-day injured list. He pitched one inning in Friday’s night loss to Pittsburgh and afterward manager Dave Martinez expressed concern about his fastball velocity.
Miller has made seven appearances this season for Washington posting a 5.68 ERA. RHP Austen Williams was recalled from Triple-A Fresno. The 26-year-old went 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA in 10 appearances out of the Washington bullpen in 2018.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon (0-2, 3.00 ERA) has a 3.50 ERA in three career appearances against the Nationals. Pittsburgh’s opening day starter lasted just two innings in his last appearance on Monday in Chicago.
Nationals: RHP Max Scherzer (1-2, 3.32) will make his fourth start of the season a day later than expected after dealing with right leg soreness. Scherzer is 11-10 in 32 career starts when coming off six or more days of rest.
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Moran hits pinch-hit, 3-run homer as Pirates top Nats 6-3
By IAN QUILLEN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Colin Moran had a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the 10th inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates scored five runs off Washington’s struggling bullpen in a 6-3 victory over the Nationals on Friday night.
Moran’s homer to right center off Justin Miller was his second as a pinch hitter in 34 at-bats. He was batting for Jung Ho Kang, after Melky Cabrera and Adam Frazier reached base against lefty Matt Grace (0-1).
Pittsburgh snapped a four-game losing streak in Washington and spoiled a two-homer night for the Nationals’ Anthony Rendon.
Washington’s relievers entered Friday’s game as the worst in the majors, and their ERA grew to 8.12 by game’s end.
Starling Marte hit a two-run single off Kyle Barraclough in the top of the eighth inning that gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead. But Rendon hit a solo homer in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.
Nick Burdi (1-1) worked a scoreless ninth for his first big league win, and Felipe Vazquez pitched the 10th for his fourth save.
Rendon has six homers after going deep twice for the fifth time in his career. He extended his hitting streak to 11 games and has recorded at least one extra-base hit in the last nine games.
Nationals starter Patrick Corbin struck out 11 and allowed one run in seven innings in his third start since signing a six-year, $140 million contract in December. The left-hander also singled twice, with the first hit tying the game at 1-all in the bottom of the second.
Trevor Williams nearly matched Corbin, allowing two runs over 6 1/3 innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: OF Gregory Polanco (left shoulder) and RHP Dovydas Neverauskas (left oblique strain) will have their rehabilitation assignments transferred to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday. Neverauskas threw two scoreless innings at Class A Bradenton, while Polanco was 2 for 13 there with four walks and an RBI in four games.
Nationals: RHP Max Scherzer (sore right leg) had his next start pushed back a day, to Sunday, because of lingering soreness after he was hit with a line drive in last Sunday at the Mets.
“If they needed me to pitch today, I could,” Scherzer said. “I understand, hey look, early in the season, be smart dealing with a leg injury. Leg injuries can turn into shoulder problems in a heartbeat. So I understand where they’re coming from.”
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Chris Archer (1-0, 2.45 ERA) makes his first start against Washington since 2015. He has a 2.45 ERA in two career appearances against the Nationals.
Nationals: Right-hander Anibal Sanchez (0-1, 6.52) swaps places with Scherzer. He’ll pitching on regular rest after allowing 3 runs over 5 2/3 innings on Monday in Philadelphia.
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Quintana strikes out 11 in 7 innings, Cubs beat Pirate 2-0
By JOHN JACKSON Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — The Cubs were in need of a strong outing by a starter, and Jose Quintana delivered.
The left-hander struck out 11 in seven innings of four-hit ball as Chicago blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 on Thursday night.
Quintana (1-1) bounced back after being roughed up for eight runs and eight hits in three innings against Milwaukee during his first start of the season last Friday. It was the longest outing by a Chicago starter this season.
“That’s as good as we’ve seen him,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “That was dominant. Strikeouts, strike throwing. Everything was working.
“He was outstanding, and we needed that.”
Daniel Descalso and Victor Caratini each had two hits and an RBI in a game that was delayed 69 minutes by rain before the eighth inning.
Caratini left after the delay and X-rays indicate the backup catcher might have a broken hamate bone in his left hand. He believes he was injured on a swing, and a CT scan is scheduled for Friday.
“It’s definitely frustrating, especially because I started out the season the way I wanted to,” Caratini said through a translator.
Steve Cishek pitched the eighth and Pedro Strop got three outs for his first save. The Cubs took two of three in their first home series after opening with a 2-7 road trip.
Pirates starter Joe Musgrove (1-1) allowed two unearned runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings.
“I think the biggest downfall for me was that third time around the lineup, getting behind a lot of hitters,” Musgrove said. “You get behind guys like that, especially the third time around, they know what I like to go to, what’s working for me all game long, so I’m kind of exposed a little bit.”
Because of severe storms predicted to move into the area late Thursday night, the Cubs pushed up the start of the game a half hour. The rain began as Chicago rallied for both runs in the seventh.
With one out, Jason Heyward lifted a pop fly to shallow left field and the strong right-to-left wind blew the ball toward the line. Because of a defensive shift, no Pittsburgh fielder had a clear shot at it. Three players converged and the ball hit off the glove of third baseman Jung Ho Kang in fair territory and fell in.
The play originally was called a double, but was quickly changed to an error on shortstop Erik Gonzalez.
Descalso followed with a single to drive in Heyward for the game’s first run. Descalso went to second on the throw to the plate and scored when the next batter, Caratini, doubled to right-center against Francisco Liriano.
By that point, a steady rain had begun. Shortly after the seventh inning ended, a bolt of lightning flashed in the distance beyond center field and the umpires stopped play.
EARLY EXIT
Maddon was ejected in the bottom of the fifth by plate umpire Mike Estabrook for arguing balls and strikes.
With runners on first and second and one out, Caratini took a low breaking ball on a 3-1 pitch for a strike. After hearing complaints from the Cubs dugout, Estabrook took a few steps down the third base line and held up a hand, essentially saying that was enough.
Maddon walked out and slowly made his way to the home plate area. He was ejected almost immediately after speaking to Estabrook.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cubs: If the hamate bone in Caratini’s left hand is broken, the fear is surgery could be required and he’d be sidelined four to six weeks. Oddly, Caratini was injured on the first pitch of his at-bat in the seventh. “The first swing I felt a crack, but I felt hot so I kept going,” he said. “Once I got to second base and I took my glove off, I could tell there was something wrong.”
ROSTER MOVES
Pirates: INF Kevin Kramer was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to take the roster spot of SS Kevin Newman, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a lacerated finger on his right hand.
Cubs: RHP Jen-Ho Tseng was released. The 24-year-old from Taiwan had been designated for assignment Saturday.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Trevor Williams (1-0, 2.25 ERA) takes the mound Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Washington. LHP Patrick Corbin (0-0, 3.75) starts for the Nationals.
Cubs: LHP Cole Hamels (1-0, 5.73 ERA) pitches the opener of a three-game home series against the Angles on Friday afternoon. LHP Tyler Skaggs (1-1, 2.45) goes for Los Angeles.
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Tonight’s Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs game from Wrigley Field in Chicago will be starting 30 minutes earlier at 7:35 p.m. EDT because of weather concerns. Air-time on Beaver County Radio 1230 WBVP and 1460 WMBA will now be at 7:10 p.m. EDT.

The Pirates will have Joe Musgrove  (1-0 0.00 ERA) to the hill against Jose Quintana (0-1 10.29 ERA). This is the rubber match of the three game series that saw the Cubs win game one 10-0 and the Bucs game two 5-2. After tonight’s game the Buccos will move onto Washington for a weekend series against the Nationals.

Lyles sharp, Cervelli and Marte homer, Pirates beat Cubs 5-2
By MATT CARLSON Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Jordan Lyles had everything, including a retooled curveball, clicking on a cold, windy night at Wrigley Field.
Lyles struck out 10 in six crisp innings to tie a career high, Francisco Cervelli and Starling Marte homered off Yu Darvish, and the Pittsburgh Pirates topped the Chicago Cubs 5-2 on Wednesday.
Lyles (1-0) allowed three hits and was sharp again in his second start, with Jason Heyward’s solo shot in the fifth accounting for the lone run against him. The right-hander walked only one as Pittsburgh bounced back from a 10-0 drubbing in the Cubs’ home opener Monday to win for the fifth time in six games.
“The curveball and changeup were there for me early on, the curveball was there for me throughout the game,” said Lyles, who came up with a new grip for the pitch last season. “Just looking at the numbers, that’s what I have most of my success with — at least damage against — my curveball.”
When Lyles arrived in the majors with the Astros in 2011, he said he was a “60-70% fastball guy.” The 28-year-old has tinkered with his repertoire and it’s paying off.
“We started figuring out what sequences worked best with that curveball, my best pitch,” Lyles said. “So we’re taking that into 2019 and we’re off to a decent start so far.”
Manager Clint Hurdle said Lyles effectively used all his pitches, including the curve, fastball, sinker, changeup and slider.
“The pitch mix worked well, and so far it’s gotten him out of the block really clean,” Hurdle said. “He’s not a guy that you look at the (radar) gun and it’s going to blow you back. There’s angle, there’s deception, and again, he’s got a fastball that plays at the top of the zone.”
Heyward had three hits and Javier Baez drove in run with a double in the eighth, but Felipe Vazquez got the final five outs for his third save in as many chances.
Darvish (0-2) and the Cubs (3-8) continued to struggle on a 40-degree night with the wind blowing in from center field at 20 mph.
Darvish allowed five runs — four earned — and five hits in 5 1/3 innings in his first start at home since May 2, 2018. But the right-hander walked none and struck out four after issuing 11 walks over 6 2/3 innings in his first two outings. Darvish signed a six-year, $126 million contract with the Cubs before the 2018 season, but he made it through only eight starts before being shut down with right triceps tendinitis on May 26.
Despite another loss, manager Joe Maddon and Darvish were encouraged by his improved control.
“He knew where the ball as going and he had really good stuff tonight,” Maddon said. “It seemed like he may have found some things tonight regarding his delivery, the way the ball was coming out of his hand.”
“I threw a lot of strikes with the fastball, that’s why I feel good,” Darvish said. “I’m happy with it but I still gave up the five runs and lose the game.”
Cervelli lined a homer to left-center in the first to put the Pirates ahead 1-0.
Marte turned on a fastball and lofted a two-run shot down the left-field line in the third to make it 3-0.
Heyward’s drive in the fourth cut it to 3-1 and reached the edge of the center-field shrubs despite the steady incoming wind.
The Pirates tacked on two runs and chased Darvish in the sixth. Josh Bell had an RBI single off reliever Kyle Ryan, and Cervelli came home on Ryan’s errant pick-off to first.
APPEALING
RHP Chris Archer is still scheduled to start Saturday against Washington as he awaits a ruling on his appeal of a five-game suspension, Hurdle said. Archer received the penalty for his part in a benches-clearing fracas last weekend against Cincinnati at PNC Park.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon, hit in the head by Anthony Rizzo’s comebacker on Monday, does not have a concussion. Hurdle said Taillon “met all the criteria for the check-ups.” … OF Lonnie Chisenhall (fractured right hand) took batting practice in the indoor cage on Wednesday and is playing catch. … OF Corey Dickerson (right posterior shoulder strain) has resumed batting practice, but is not yet cleared to throw. … C Elias Diaz (virus) played Tuesday and Wednesday night for Triple-A Indianapolis.
Cubs: LHP Jon Lester was put on the 10-day injured list (strained left hamstring) retroactive to Tuesday. Injured while scoring from second base on Ben Zobrist’s single in Monday’s home opener, the Cubs ace will miss at least one turn. LHP Tim Collins was recalled from Triple-A Iowa and pitched the ninth.
UP NEXT
Pirates RHP Joe Musgrove (1-0, 0.00) faces Cubs LHP Jose Quintana (0-1, 10.29) in the series finale Thursday night. Musgrove tossed seven scoreless innings and won his first start last Friday against Cincinnati. Quintana was hammered for eight runs, including three homers, in three innings Friday at Milwaukee.
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