Catcher Kratz’s pitching stint only laugh as Pirates routed

Trevor Bauer threw a three-hitter for his second career complete game, Jason Kipnis hit a two-run homer and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 on Wednesday night for their sixth straight win. The left-hander had allowed 18 runs and 20 hits over 8 2/3 innings during his previous two outings, certainly making him a longshot to cool off the major leagues’ hottest team.

“That’s a tough one to lose for Bum”, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

And for the slumping Pirates, nothing new.

Kipnis’ homer highlighted a three-run first inning off Chris Archer (4-10).

He attended many games here as a kid, mostly drawn by the stars on the visiting teams because the Pirates were awful. Los Angeles (39-33) is a season-high six games over.500.

The Pirates needed an extra reliever after Boscan pitched just 3 2/3 innings Tuesday night in his first major league start.

In five career starts against the Giants, Liriano is 4-1 with a solid 3.07 ERA. Panik drove a double to left to score Ramiro Pena and Jarrett Parker, turning a one-run deficit into a one-run lead.

Orioles 7, Padres 2: Ubaldo Jimenez game up two runs and four hits in six innings to help Baltimore get its 1,000th win at Camden Yards.

He then proceeded to lose to the Cardinals 8-3 on June 12 during his last start at PNC Park. “But I should have caught that ball”.

Rookie Derek Law (3-1), who was born and raised in Pittsburgh, pitched two innings after Samardzija for the win.

Why do you build me up buttercup, baby? Liriano’s delivery felt rushed, and he was pulled after five innings, at just 89 pitches – he allowed four runs on six hits, walking three and striking out six. I knew I had a lot of people here, but I didn’t think I had that many. But, he departed just 25 pitches later with a loss. Sale went seven innings, allowed four hits and walked one.

Starting pitching report: The three-inning start tied for the shortest of Samardzija’s career. Former MVP Andrew McCutchen has 13 hits in 32 career at-bats against Samardzija with five doubles, five walks and two RBI. Lefties continued to get to Samardzija in the first, with Gregory Polanco lining a single and scoring on Matt Joyce’s two-out single. He is not faring much better in his second Major League Baseball stint this season with the Pirates either, batting.050/.050/.200 over 20 plate appearances with one hit – a solo home run – and eight strikeouts. The Pirates gave him a lead, but he allowed the Giants to chip away and get back within two runs before Jared Hughes came in let the Giants take the lead in the sixth.

The Giants scored twice in the fifth when Buster Posey hit a double and Angel Pagan a sacrifice fly to cash in Denard Span’s leadoff single and a Panik walk.

His plate appearance with the bases loaded in the fourth inning of the Giants’ 15-4 victory Tuesday night was neither as damaging nor as memorable as the coffin-lidded grand slam he hit here in the 2014 NL Wild Card game.

The Pirates tried to enliven the end of a blowout game, sending Kratz, their backup catcher, to the mound in the ninth – the first time a position player pitched against the Giants since Arizona’s Steve Finley in 2001.

The Pirates recalled LHP Kyle Lobstein from Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned RHP Wilfredo Boscan to the same club.

Earlier this month, the Pirates acquired 36-year-old, third-string catcher Erik Kratz, who started the year with San Diego, was later traded to and cut from the Astros, and most recently played for the Angels’ Triple A affiliate.