Pirates Bullpen Implodes Against Astros

For seven innings, everything had gone right for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The offense was explosive. The starting pitching was decent. And when Nick Gonzales launched a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to make it 7-3, the visiting dugout at Minute Maid Park had the loose, carefree energy of a team already planning its post-game meal.

When the Pirates tacked on another run go up 8-3, their win probability sat at a comfy 97.1%. The Astros’ crowd was restless. The game felt over.

But baseball can have a cruel sense of humor. And the Pirates’ bullpen was about to become its punchline.

Seventh Not-So-Heaven

The trouble started quietly in the bottom of the seventh. Reliever Yohan Ramirez got the first out. Then Yordan Alvarez—inevitable as always—got on base with a single. No harm yet. Astros first baseman Christian Walker was the second out, and it looked like Ramirez could escape unscathed. But Isaac Paredes had other ideas. On a 2-2 pitch, he turned on a fastball and sent it 363 feet into the left-field seats. Just like that, a 8-3 lead was now 8-5. The buzz returned to Houston’s dugout.

Still, Pittsburgh led by three. Surely, they’d hold.

The top of the eighth brought a brief reprieve. A Nick Gonzales double plated another run. 9-5. The Pirates’ win probability spiked again. Manager Don Kelly felt confident enough to turn to Mason Montgomery for the bottom half, hoping the hard-throwing lefty could seal the eighth.

Montgomery's outing began with a strikeout. One down. Then another strikeout. Two outs. The Pirates were one out away from taking a four-run lead into the ninth. The bullpen door remained shut. The panic was nowhere to be found.

Then the nightmare began.

A Six-Run Eighth

With two outs and the bases empty, Montgomery lost the zone. A double. Another double. A walk. Suddenly it was 9-6.

Gregory Soto replaced Montgomery at this point. Alvarez stepped up again and slapped a liner into center. 9-7. The Astros’ win probability, which had been below 10% minutes ago, flickered to 17%.

Soto looked rattled. His mechanics shortened. His fastball flattened.

Christian Walker singled to score another run, and runners advanced further on a Brandon Lowe throwing error. 9-8. Still two outs.

Soto then uncorked a wild pitch to Isaac Paredes. Zach Cole trotted home. 9-9. The Pirates had officially blown the lead.

The tying run was in. The go-ahead run, Walker, was on second base. The stadium was deafening.

Kelly left Soto in to face Paredes, who worked a full-count walk. Still two outs. Two runners on base.

Then came Cam Smith to the plate. On a 1-2 pitch from Soto, he chopped a ground ball down the right-field line. Jake Mangum charged, but the ball skipped past him into the corner. By the time it was retrieved, two runs had scored. 9-11, Astros lead.