The Pirates’ trip through New York hit another weather snag on July 21, with the second game of their series against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium postponed because of heavy rain and thunderstorms in the area.
With New York City under a flood watch until early tomorrow morning, the clubs decided to push the matchup to July 22 and turn the set into a straight doubleheader. The games are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and Pittsburgh still gets its off day on July 23. The club had been set for a 1:35 p.m. game that day before the schedule was adjusted.
It’s the third consecutive series in which the Pirates have ended up with a doubleheader, though each one came about for a different reason. Their July 10 opener against the Brewers at PNC Park was delayed by rain before being postponed and made into a July 11 twin bill. Then on July 17, Pittsburgh’s series opener with the Guardians at Progressive Field was wiped out because smoke from Canada left Cleveland’s air quality too poor for baseball.
The Pirates handled those two doubleheaders well, going 3-1 overall. They swept the Brewers, winning 7-6 in the first game and 3-2 in the second, then split with the Guardians, taking the opener 7-1 before dropping the nightcap 5-3 after the bullpen allowed five runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
Rookie right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez was a major force in those games. He hit two home runs in the first game against Milwaukee, including the go-ahead grand slam, added another homer in the second game against the Brewers, and then went deep again in the first game against Cleveland.
Pittsburgh opened the Yankees series with an 8-5 loss on July 20, but the game had plenty of swing to it. The Pirates fell behind 4-0 in the first inning, then stormed back to grab a 5-4 lead in the third when Valdez launched a two-run, opposite-field home run.
Braxton Ashcraft had a rough night on the mound. The right-hander gave up eight runs, seven earned, in just three innings, and he allowed two home runs to Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. It was the most runs and earned runs he has surrendered in a major league start, and he has now allowed 18 earned runs over 19.2 innings for an 8.24 ERA.
The game also got heated late, with Pirates right-handed reliever Dennis Santana and Yankees shortstop José Caballero nearly sparking a brawl at the end of the eighth inning. Benches cleared and bullpens emptied, but nothing serious came of it.
Pittsburgh remains in the National League Wild Card race, and a pair of wins in the Bronx would give the club a strong finish to its road trip and a better spot moving forward.
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