The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs 8-6 last night at PNC Park. It was the opening game of a three-game series. First baseman Colin Moran hit his 10th home run and drove in four runs. Outfielder Bryan Reynolds had three hits and Hoy Park had a two-run triple.
Starting pitcher Mitch Keller continued his season-long struggle, allowing six earned runs on nine hits over four innings. Five relievers pitched five scoreless innings to allow the Bucs to comeback from a 6-3 deficit.
The Bucs and Cubs play again tonight at 6:35pm. Pre-game on WISR is 6:10pm.
One of the Pirates top pitching prospects – Roansy Contreras will make his major league debut tonight. The 21-year old was part of the Jameson Taillon trade with the New York Yankees, and began his season at Double-A Altoona.
The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 last night to win their 17th game in a row, and clinched the final National League Wild Card.
In the race for the American League Wild Cards, the New York Yankees are now two games up on the top A.L. Wild Card after winning their seventh straight game last night. New York defeated Toronto 7-2, dropping the Blue Jays a game behind Boston. The Red Sox hold the final spot, but have lost four in a row, and now lead Seattle by just a half game. The Mariners have won three straight, and nine of their last 10 games.
The Atlanta Braves defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 last night, and now lead the N.L. East by 3-1/2 games. Former Pirate pitcher Charlie Morton tossed seven scoreless innings for the Braves.
The San Francisco Giants won their 103rd game of the season last night – and lead the Los Angeles Dodgers by two games in the race for the N.L. West Division title.