Pirates Play Two Doubleheaders in a Week: A Fun, Simple Recap

What Happened One Week Apart

• The Pittsburgh Pirates played a doubleheader (that means two baseball games in one day) on July 11 and did great! They won both games at home against the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Exactly one week later, they played another doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians.
  • Why? Because in Cleveland, the air was not safe to breathe, so Friday’s game was moved to Saturday afternoon.

Game 1 vs. the Guardians: A Win!

• The Pirates won the first game 7-1. This was their first win after the All-Star break (a short mid-season vacation for players).
• A pitcher named Jared Jones had a super strong start:
  • He let the Guardians score only 1 run in 5 innings.
  • He became only the 3rd Pirates pitcher in 70 years to get 30+ batters out in a row! The others were Harvey Haddix (38) and Jim Bibby (32).
  • He allowed 2 hits, 1 walk, and struck out 9 batters.
• The Pirates hit 3 home runs:
  • Jacob Gonzalez (a shortstop who just joined from the Chicago White Sox) hit his first homer with the team. He went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs in his first infield start.
  • Esmerlyn Valdez hit a 2-run homer in the 6th.
  • Nick Gonzales added a solo homer later in the 6th to make it 5-1.

Important: A doubleheader means two games played on the same day, usually because an earlier game got postponed (moved to a later date).

Game 2 vs. the Guardians: A Tough Loss

• The Pirates lost Game 2 by a score of 5-3 in a very disappointing way.
• They were winning 3-0 in the 8th inning, but Cleveland came back.
• The game was delayed about 75 minutes because of rain.

How the Pirates Took a 3-0 Lead

1. Top of 2nd: Brandon Lowe hit a sacrifice fly (a ball that lets a teammate score after catching it) to bring home Ryan O’Hearn, who had walked and moved to third on Marcell Ozuna’s hit. Score: 1-0.
2. Top of 3rd: Nick Gonzales doubled, then later scored on Esmerlyn Valdez’s double that Cleveland outfielders lost track of. Score: 2-0.
3. Top of 4th: After walks by Lowe and Rafael Flores and a single by Jake Mangum, Lowe ran home smartly while the catcher was out of position. A replay challenge by Cleveland failed. Score: 3-0.

A Star Debut by Khristain Curtis

• Khristain Curtis, a 24-year-old rookie, made his MLB debut (first big-league game) in relief of opener Mason Montgomery.
• He pitched 5 scoreless innings (no runs allowed).
• He struck out the side in the 4th (Rhys Hoskins, Schneemann, Fry) in just 14 pitches.
• He allowed only 2 hits, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts in total.
• His outing was the longest relief debut by a Pirate since Steve Blass in 1964.
• He threw 42 of 68 pitches for strikes, hours after being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis.

The Cleveland Comeback

• In the 8th, Brandon Eisert gave up 3 runs on 3 hits.
• Gregory Soto came in and was shaky: 2 wild pitches and a game-tying hit.
• Kwan and Rocchio singled; DeLauter hit to make it 3-1.
• Soto’s wild pitch let Rocchio score; Kahlil Watson tied it with a single (3-3).
• Earlier, the Pirates almost lost: Steven Kwan’s would-be winning double saw Patrick Bailey thrown out at home. They dodged a bullet!

The Walk-Off Heartbreak

• In the 9th, Dennis Santana gave up a walk-off (game-ending) 2-run homer to Travis Bazzana.
• Santana took the loss (now 2-5, 6.20 ERA); Soto got a blown save.
• Cleveland (52-47) won; Pirates (51-48) lost.

Summary

The Pirates swept a doubleheader vs. Milwaukee on July 11. A week later, they won Game 1 vs. Cleveland 7-1 behind Jared Jones’ historic start and 3 homers, but lost Game 2 5-3 after leading 3-0. Rookie Khristain Curtis shined in his debut, but late relief struggles and a walk-off homer spoiled it.

FAQ

Q: What is a doubleheader?
A: It’s when a baseball team plays two games in the same day, often because a previous game was postponed.

Q: Who was the pitching hero in Game 1?
A: Jared Jones, who retired 30+ batters in a row and only allowed 1 run in 5 innings.

Q: Why was Game 2 disappointing for the Pirates?
A: They led 3-0 in the 8th but gave up 3 runs and then lost on a walk-off homer in the 9th.

Q: What made Khristain Curtis’s debut special?
A: He pitched 5 scoreless innings in his first MLB game, the longest such relief debut for the Pirates since 1964.