The Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the San Francisco Giants 3-2 Easter Sunday at PNC Park. Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang was thrown out at home plate to end the game. Josh Bell hit his fourth home run of the year and drove in both of the Pirates runs. He now has 15 RBI’s to lead the team. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Bucs. Chris Archer took the loss, allowing three runs on six hits over five innings.
The Giants set a National League record Sunday. 23 consecutive games to begin the season without scoring in the first inning.
Colin Moran made his career debut at second base Sunday. Adam Frazier missed the past two games with muscle spasms in his back.
The Pirates open a four-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight at PNC Park. First pitch is 7:05pm. Pre-game begins at 6:40pm on WISR. Joe Musgrove will start for the Bucs.
The Pirates are now 12-8 overall, and lead St. Louis and Milwaukee by one game.
The Pirates had to make several moves over the weekend. Starling Marte was placed on the 10-day Injured List and shortstop Erik Gonzalez was placed on the 60-day Injured List after the two collided attempting to make a catch Friday. Gonzalez suffered a broken collarbone. The Pirates called up former first-round draft pick Cole Tucker from Indianapolis. Tucker hit a home run in his debut Saturday. He had his first double Sunday. The Bucs also called up centerfielder Bryan Reynolds, who was part of the Andrew McCutchen trade with the Giants. Reynolds also had a hit in his debut – then had three hits, including a double Sunday.
The Pirates have also placed catcher Jacob Stallings on the Injured List to make room for the return of Elias Diaz, who missed most of spring training with an illness. Stallings has a neck strain. He is out of minor league options as well, so the Pirates are also faced with the prospect of losing him if they try to send Stallings to Indianapolis.
Former Pirates outfielder Austin Meadows was placed on the 10-day Injured List by Tampa Bay after suffering a sprained thumb. Meadows will see a specialist. He was batting .351 with six home runs and 19 RBI’s in Tampa Bay’s first 20 games.