IN A GAME LIKE THIS, THERE IS NO KEY PLAY OF THE GAME. WHY THE PIRATES LOST: THEY SHOWED UP BUT TOOK THE DAY OFF. HOW LONG CAN THIS GO ON? WHO KNOWS, ONLY THE SHELTON KNOWS. WITH A FULL 48 HOURS TO THINK ABOUT IT YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT KIND OF STARTING LINE UP SHELTON WILL THINK UP, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT THERE ARE ONLY 3 OUTFIELDERS ON THE TEAM. NEXT GAME: TUESDAY BREWERS IN PITTSBURGH. YOU JUST GOT THE FEELING THAT THIS MIGHT BE A WALK OFF WIN FOR THE CUBS, BUT IT WAS NOT TO BE. KEY PLAY OF THE GAME: THE FINAL 2 STRIKE OUTS BY DAVID BEDNAR IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH WITH THE TYING RUN ON THIRD AND THE WINNING RUN ON SECOND. THE PIRATES DID THIS WITH BRYAN REYNOLDS MIRED IN A BAD SLUMP. THE PIRATES WON THEIR SECOND SERIES OF THE YEAR, WHICH IS TWO MORE THAN LAST YEAR. IN THE THREE WINS IN CHICAGO, THE PIRATES GRABBED THEIR FINAL LEAD IN THE 4TH AND 5TH INNINGS, AND HELD ON TO IT FOR ALL 3 GAMES. THE CUBS MADE A COSTLY ERROR IN THE TOP OF THE FOURTH WHICH GAVE THE PIRATES THEIR 4TH AND DECIDING RUN. THE PIRATES SCORED 3 OF THEIR 4 RUNS AFTER 2 WERE OUT. THE PIRATES WON THE GAME DESPITE BEING OUT HIT 10 TO 6, ALTHOUGH THEY OUT WALKED THE CUBS 7 TO 4. IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH THEY HAD SECOND AND THIRD AND ONE OUT AND AGAIN COULD NOT PUSH THE TYING RUN ACROSS.

IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 7TH THE CUBS HAD FIRST AND THIRD WITH NO ONE OUT AND FAILED TO SCORE. WHY THE PIRATES WON: SAME OLD STORY, ANOTHER OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY THE BULLPEN, ALTHOUGH THIS TIME THEY MADE IT INTERESTING.

THE BREWERS BROUGHT JOSH HADER IN TO FACE ONE BATTER TO MAKE SURE THEY DID NOT BLOW A FOUR RUN LEAD. ONE TEAM TRYING TO WIN, THE OTHER TEAM NOT SO MUCH. WITH PLAYERS HAVING COVID SHELTON WILL HAVE FREE REIGN TO MAKE THE MOST ABSURD STARTING LINE UP AND IN GAME MOVES YET. NEXT GAME: BREWERS TONIGHT IN PITTSBURGH. THIS GAVE THE BREWERS A 10-4 LEAD, RIGHT AFTER THE PIRATES BATTLED BACK FROM A 4-1 DEFICIT TO TIE THE GAME. KEY PLAY OF THE GAME: THE WIILY ADAMES THREE RUN HOMER IN THE TOP OF THE SIXTH WITH TWO OUTS,TO CAP A SIX RUN INNING. THE PIRATES BATS WERE HOT, BUT THEY COULD NOT OVERCOME THIS BAD OF PITCHING AND SOME SHODDY DEFENSE. MITCH KELLER LAST NIGHT, IN 4 AND 2/3 INNINGS, GAVE UP FIVE HITS, FOUR RUNS, WALKED TW O, AND THREW SEVENTY FIVE PITCHES, ONLY STRIKING OUT ONE, WHEW. AMONG THE FIVE STARTERS, ONLY JOSE QUINTANA HAS AN ERA OF UNDER 6. WHY THE PIRATES LOSS: ANOTHER DREADFUL STARTING PITCHER PERFORMANCE AND A RARE BULLPEN MELTDOWN, ALTHOUGH YOU COULD SAY IT WAS THE B SQUAD. LAST NIGHTS LINE UP LOOKED GOOD ON PAPER BUT DID NOT WORK OUT.

THIS LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THOSE YEARS THAT THE BREWERS COULD BE DOMINATING THE PIRATES. EVEN THOUGH RUNS WERE HARD TO COME BY, THE BREWERS WERE WILLING TO GIVE UP THE RUN, BECAUSE THEY KNEW THE MOVES THAT SHELTON WAS GOING TO DO THE REST OF THE GAME. KEY PLAY OF THE GAME: TOP OF THE SIXTH, THE PIRATES HAD FIRST AND THIRD WITH NOBODY OUT AND KE’BRYAN HAYES GROUNDED INTO A SPECTACULAR DOUBLE PLAY. ONE TEAM TRYING TO WIN GAMES AND ANOTHER TEAM NOT. JOSH HADER PITCHED THE NINTH FOR THE BREWERS, WHILE OUR TOP TWO RELIEVERS SAT COMFORTABLY IN BULLPEN OF A ONE RUN GAME. WHY HE WAS ALLOWED TO WALK THAT MANY BATTERS IN A ROW IN A CLOSE GAME, ONLY THE SHELTON KNOWS.

COMING ON IN THE TOP OF THE NINTH WITH ONE OUT, HE PROMPTLY HIT THE FIRST BATTER, GETS ONE OUT, THEN WALKS THE NEXT 3 BATTERS TO MAKE THE SCORE 3-1. SAM HOWARD SHOWED EVERYBODY HOW NOT TO PITCH. THE DEFENSE ALLOWED THE TYING RUN TO SCORE. WHY THE PIRATES LOST: IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TYPE OF GAME, WHERE NEITHER TEAM COULD HIT, THE PIRATES TURNED IT INTO AN ART FORM, GETTING ONLY ONE HIT AND SCORING THEIR ONLY RUN ON A DOUBLE PLAY BALL.

Todays cubs score