Mariners vs Pirates Recap: Pirates explode to 11-1 win

The Mariners came into PNC Park looking to bounce back after winning the night before. They'd beaten the Pirates 3-2 on Tuesday and wanted to keep the momentum rolling. But things went wrong immediately. Julio Rodriguez singled to left in the first inning, and Crawford scored to give Seattle an early 1-0 lead. The Pirates' pitcher Braxton Ashcraft was sharp, but he couldn't hold that lead. Pittsburgh's bats woke up quick in the fourth inning. Endy Rodriguez doubled to right, scoring two runs. Tyler Callihan followed with a triple that brought another run home. Jake Mangum singled, and Esmerlyn Valdez singled again. Just like that, Pittsburgh led 5-1 after four innings.

Seattle's pitching staff couldn't stop Pittsburgh. In the seventh inning, the Pirates struck again hard. Bryan Woo had given up a ton of hits, and now relief pitcher Nick Davila took over. Ryan O'Hearn crushed a double to right that scored two more runs. The Pirates were rolling now. Endy Rodriguez singled to right, bringing another run across. Then Tyler Callihan hit a sacrifice fly to left, and O'Hearn scored from third. Pittsburgh added two more runs in the eighth inning when Bryan Reynolds doubled and O'Hearn doubled again. The Pirates had gone from a close series to completely dominating Wednesday. They scored 11 runs while the Mariners managed just 1.

Braxton Ashcraft was the star pitcher for Pittsburgh on Wednesday. He pitched six strong innings and struck out 10 Mariners. He didn't give up any walks and only one earned run. Ashcraft was dominant and controlled the game from start to finish. The Pirates' bullpen was solid too. Carmen Mlodzinski pitched three innings and saved the game with great pitching. He gave up just two hits and struck out three. Seattle's pitching fell apart. Bryan Woo took the loss after four innings, giving up five earned runs. The final score was Pittsburgh 11, Seattle 1. It was a lopsided win that showed how strong the Pirates' pitching could be.

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