Pittsburgh Review

ARLINGTON -- Anyone who glanced at the score late in Wednesday afternoon’s game between the Pirates and the Rangers might have assumed it was a simple pitchers’ duel. The Pirates' 1-0 walk-off loss at Globe Life Field, however, was more complex, reflecting a battle of missed opportunities by both offenses.

Neither Pittsburgh starter Domingo Germán nor Texas starter Andrew Heaney surrendered a run. Instead, the game became an attrition contest between two offenses that failed to capitalize on numerous chances. The Pirates struck out 16 times and left 10 men on base despite having at least one baserunner in every inning from the second to the ninth.

“Extremely frustrating. We had opportunities,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “We had the bases loaded twice. We just didn’t get a hit that we needed to break the game open. You can’t expect to win a game when you leave 10 guys on base.”

The game's only run occurred on the final pitch. Reliever David Bednar allowed back-to-back singles to begin the bottom of the ninth, then recorded two outs before Wyatt Langford laced a soft line drive past the shortstop.

Wednesday’s rubber game featured a combined 26 strikeouts, six walks, nine pitchers, four double plays, and 17 men left on base. Together, the teams were 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position; Langford's hit was the sole success.

The Pirates missed an opportunity to score in the seventh inning when Yasmani Grandal and pinch-hitter Billy McKinney reached on singles with no outs. Isiah Kiner-Falefa then hit a sharp liner right at first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who reacted quickly for a catch and tagged first base for a double play.

“Lowe made a great play. If that ball’s one foot or six inches right or left, all of a sudden we have a double and we score two runs,” Shelton said. “But we have to have better at-bats. We have to put the ball in play because 16 strikeouts doesn’t give us an opportunity to score runs.”

Pittsburgh's offensive struggles overshadowed Germán's competent outing in his first start for the team since being promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on Aug. 9. The Pirates signed Germán after he threw a perfect game for the Yankees last season.

“I’m pleased with my outing today, especially after a year of not being able to start a [Major League] game,” said Germán, who walked four and scattered three hits over six innings. “I’ve been working on fastball location... I was working really hard to make sure that was sharp.”

Germán may earn another turn in Pittsburgh’s rotation as they aim to protect their young arms from overwork during this season's wind-down period.

“He was really effective,” Shelton said of Germán’s performance over his six innings pitched Wednesday night. “I think there’s a chance he could get more starts."