Orioles 6 – 
Pirates 5 (10)
The Pirates up 5-3 in the ninth inning should have been ball game.
The club, though, continues to have a closer problem.
While Felipe Rivero got four outs in the seventh and eighth innings to preserve a Pirates lead, Tony Watson would cough up the lead in the ninth.
Watson left a hanging changeup to Jonathan Schoop who smashed a 2-run homer to force extra innings. Baltimore would then win it in the 10th.
For Watson, he now has a 3.91 ERA in 23 appearances and has allowed five homers. Watson has blown his last three save opportunities.
There has been calls for Felipe Rivero for weeks to be inserted as the closer. But, the Pirates think Watson being in the closers role helps his trade value so we’ll see how long this goes.
“We think about a lot of things,” manager Clint Hurdle said of a possible switch. “That’s a discussion I’d have internally when it’s time to have it. We’ve talked at length since Felipe got there that one day he’ll close. He shows you that stuff. His stuff tonight was electric as well.”
The Pirates despite a 26-32 record, are only 4.5 games out of first place.
