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Orioles Crush Pirates’ Bullpen After Jared Jones’ Stellar Start in Home Opener
In addition to a quality start from a rookie right-hander and two home runs in the home opener, the Pittsburgh Pirates received a ceremonial first pitch from a renowned manager who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
They did not, however, obtain victory. A sellout audience of 38,400 watched the Baltimore Orioles play spoiler as they defeated the bullpen for three runs on Friday afternoon to win 5-2. Hall Baseball Famer Jim Leyland threw the first pitch to Derek Shelton, the manager of the Pirates, and Jared Jones (1-1) gave the team its first strong start.
The rookie, who is 22 years old, gave up two solo home runs on six hits without a walk but still struck out seven batters.
Hall Baseball Famer Jim Leyland threw the first pitch to Derek Shelton, the manager of the Pirates, and Jared Jones (1-1) gave the team its first strong start. The rookie, who is 22 years old, gave up two solo home runs on six hits without a walk but still struck out seven batters.
Grayson Rodriguez (2-0), a right-hander for the Orioles, had one of his own with a nearly identical pitching line. Rodriguez struck out seven in 6 1/3 innings despite giving up six hits, including two solo home runs, and two walks.
The Pirates supporters were expecting a blackout, so they dressed in black, but what they got was a momentary whiteout with snow flakes when the three rivers rose and the temperature fell.
Jones gave off some warmth. He hit Gunnar Henderson with a four-seam fastball at 97.7 mph on his opening pitch, then increased the tempo to 97.9 and 98.9 in a three-pitch strikeout. With a fastball that touched 99.5, Jones got Adley Rutschman to swing before Anthony Santander lined out to center.
In the second, Jones mixed in a slider, but the Orioles saw right through it, as Ryan O’Hearn sent a 0-1 fastball 389 feet to center field for a home run and a 1-0 advantage.
After hitting Jordan Westburg with a pitch with two outs, Jones allowed Colton Cowser to single, putting runners on the bases, but Ramon Urias grounded out to end the inning.
In the third, Henderson blasted a 0-1 changeup 407 feet to straightaway center to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead.
Jones was then tagged for another single shot. In contrast, the Pirates left five runners on base during the first three innings. With two on in the first inning and runners on the corners at the end of the third inning, Andrew McCutchen, who is just one home run away from reaching 300, flew out to right.
After right fielder Bryan Reynolds and center fielder Michael A. Taylor appeared to miscommunicate, O’Hearn opened the fourth inning with a triple on a fly ball that dropped.
After Rowdy Tellez mishandled a ground ball to first base that Cedric Mullins attempted to flip to second baseman Jared Triolo, the call was reversed after further examination.
Then, for his fifth strikeout, Jones got Cowser to swing at a fastball clocked at 98.1 mph. When Rodriguez hit a changeup over the middle and Oneil Cruz drove it 377 feet for his second home run to tie it 2-1 in the fifth, the Pirates’ deficit was reduced in half with one swing.
After six innings, Jones had reached 80 pitches and the Pirates had faced the Orioles lineup three times. In the seventh inning, lefty Ryan Borucki was used by the team.
Austin Hays, a pinch hitter, was struck out by him, but Urias, Henderson, and Rutschman all received hits before Rutschman drove a liner to left to score Urias and give the Orioles a 3-1 lead.
After Santander replaced Borucki with Hunter Stratton, Henderson was scored and the score was now 4-1 thanks to a crisp ground ball down the third-base line by Santander. In his first home opener of the season, Triolo opened the seventh inning by hitting Rodriguez’s first-pitch fastball 411 feet into the visiting bullpen. This was his first home run of the year.
However, Mullins opened the eighth inning with a home slam and a 5-2 lead for the Orioles, hitting Stratton’s 2-0 cutter 366 feet and off the right-field foul pole.
