PHILADELPHIA — Under fire from a few ex-major league players recently, the Pirates got the last laugh against a current one Sunday at Citizens Bank Park, besting Phillies starter Noah Syndergaard during a 5-0 victory that helped the Pirates avoid a sweep.
Syndergaard, you might remember, bemoaned on social media having to watch the “[crappy] Pirates” due to MLB.TV’s blackout restrictions one day in April 2021. Rehabbing after Tommy John surgery back then, Syndergaard started for the first time against Pittsburgh and didn’t fare terribly well.
The Pirates used three triples — their most in a game since May 25, 2018 — to score five runs in 5⅔ innings against the 29-year-old right-hander, disrupting a stretch where Philadelphia’s trade-deadline acquisition had produced a 2.70 ERA and went at least six innings in his previous three starts.
Aside from actual offense, the Pirates enjoyed a tremendous pitching performance from Roansy Contreras, whose slider was probably the best we’ve seen during his time in the big leagues. Contreras gave the Pirates five shutout innings, scattering three singles, walking two and striking out seven.
Of his 89 pitches, Contreras generated 32 called strikes (15) or whiffs (17), with a dozen of the latter coming via that slider, which Contreras dialed up and down to perfection.
The victory was the fourth shutout win for the Pirates this season and their first on the road. Ironically, the last time they had a road shutout win came here, on Sept. 26, 2021.
The Pirates offense, shut out Saturday and held to three or fewer runs 12 times this month, got started early, as Oneil Cruz — hitting leadoff — blasted a 110 mph triple to set the stage for Ke’Bryan Hayes, who took a Syndergaard sinker the other way for a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead.
Tucupita Marcano — who had a flat-out tremendous game at second base — cracked the Pirates’ second triple, his coming in the fourth. Greg Allen scored him with a terrific bunt, the safety squeeze working to perfection to create a 2-0 advantage.
Bryan Reynolds opened the sixth inning with a triple, and Michael Chavis scored him by turning on an inside sinker and driving it into left. Chavis beat Phillies second baseman Jean Segura’s throw home on a ball hit by Marcano to make it 4-0.
The Pirates upped their lead to 5-0 two batters later when Bligh Madris cracked his second double in as many games, reaching out to get an outside changeup from Syndergaard and sending it off the fencing atop the right-field wall, missing a homer by less than a foot.
In addition to Contreras and the offense, the Pirates have plenty of other stuff to feel good about in this one. Like diving, rangy plays made by Rodolfo Castro (fifth inning) and Marcano (eighth) against right fielder Nick Castellanos.
Marcano then one-upped himself by diving to his right in the top of the ninth inning to rob Phillies designated hitter Bryce Harper with another highlight-reel play.
Manny Banuelos, who struggled while giving up four runs in one inning last Sunday against the Reds, shined with two clean innings out of the bullpen, the left-hander allowing just one hit.
Duane Underwood Jr. and Wil Crowe finished it off with scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth. The three relievers combined to allow just two baserunners.
