Pirates Bounce Back in a BIG Way

Gerrit Cole - Pure Flame Thrower

To simply talk about how Gerrit Cole pitched and the timely hits the Pirates had wouldn't truly give this game justice.  After all, it isn't every MLB team that can simply show up at the ball park following a 9-1 spanking and return the favor...oh yeah, and that's on the road too.  Tried and true Pirates fans should know this team has this genetic make up for the reason that they've done this all year.  They never seem to let one win or one big loss effect them too much.  They embody what their manager, Clint Hurdle, speaks to the media every day.  Never too high, never to low, and keep doing work.  The Buccos certainly did just that behind on of the finest rookie pitching performances in Pirates history.

Gerrit Cole did it all.  Throwing 6 solid innings only giving up 2 hits and never really seeing a threat of scoring from the St. Louis lineup, except a solo HR by Cardinals catcher, Molina.  They had never faced the young fireballer, and it was blatantly obvious that they hadn't.  Cole used his curveball effectively, as he had the entire month of September when he garnished MLB honors for going 4-0, and his fastball was reaching the 100mph mark in the 6th inning.  Yeah, to say that the rookie was "feeling it" might be an understatement.  Another factor in this "I love Gerrit Cole" article is the fact that Mike Matheny made a huge mistake (in my opinion) when he intentionally walked Jordy Mercer to get to Gerrit Cole with a runner on 2nd and 2 out.  Cole steps up to the plate, and at that moment I sent a tweet saying essentially "Doesn't Matheny know that this guy can hit?  He has just as many RBIs as our cleanup hitter since he was acquired from the Twins!"  Needless to say, Gerrit Cole drove a pitch up the middle, helping his own cause and scoring Pedro Alvarez.  Gerrit Cole did it all on Friday, and he did it under control.  Cole has been known to have a fiery personality on the mound, and sometimes it gets the best of him.  He remained under control in the biggest of circumstances and was able to deliver big time for the Pirates.

Pedro Alvarez is another player that certainly showed up big when it mattered the most.  He contributed in the first 3 runs of the game as he doubled (was scored by that Cole single), and hit a 2 run home run to dead center field.  Turns out, that 3 spot was enough run support that Cole would need, but the Pirates bats raked 10 hits and most importantly, took advantage of Cardinals errors.  Whether it was Jon Jay misplaying fly balls in the outfield, Freese losing a pop up in the sun, or Molina missing an out back by the screen...the Pirates took advantage...which is what good teams do in the playoffs.

There has been a lot of discussion about Game 5 and if Gerrit Cole would be pitching over AJ Burnett.  If you ask me, that is useless talk.  The Pirates are all square heading back to PNC Park where the "Black Sea" is certainly going to play a role in these games.  Francisco Liriano will take the mound Sunday, and Charlie Morton will climb the bump on Monday.  Personally, I feel those two games could easily swing in the Pirates favor and Game 5 becomes useless.  Obviously, there is chance Game 5 occurs, but lets worry about that IF it happens.  The Pirates are a team of destiny, and only time will how far destiny takes them.