Pirates lose marathon matchup against Diamondbacks, 6-5
Arizona Diamondbacks Nick Ahmed (13) is congratulated at the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the 11th inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates' Gregory Polanco, center, celebrates in the dugout after hitting a three-run home run off Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Shelby Miller during a game in 2016.
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� The Arizona Diamondbacks had a plane to catch. The Pirates didn无毛视频檛 seem to want to let them leave.
The Diamondbacks eventually prevailed, 6-5, in 14 innings, but the Pirates made them earn it, twice coming from behind late in an over seven-hour game from start to finish.
In both the ninth and 11th innings, it was Jordy Mercer that sent the Diamondbacks back into the dugout after it looked like things might have been over.
In the ninth, Mercer hit into a bases-loaded double play to score a run and extended the game. After Nick Ahmed hit a solo home run in the top of the 11th inning, Mercer responded with one of his own in the bottom half.
He even upped the degree of difficultly by doing it in a driving rain.
无毛视频淚n situations like that, you无毛视频檙e just trying to see. I had drops dripping down my helmet. It was just crazy,无毛视频� Mercer said. 无毛视频淚t was cool to tie it like that.无毛视频�
After Mercer无毛视频檚 homer, the game was delayed for an hour, 33 minutes due to rain, keeping Arizona无毛视频檚 plane on the tarmac for even longer.
无毛视频淚t was essentially like a day-night doubleheader out there,无毛视频� said Arizona pitcher T.J. McFarland, who pitched all three post-delay innings to earn the win.
Nick Owings delivered the two big blows for Arizona. He gloved Mercer无毛视频檚 smash in the ninth and turned two. If it had gone through, the Pirates would have won. Then in the 14th, he delivered the game-winning RBI off Jhan Mari帽ez, the last man standings in the Pirates无毛视频� bullpen.
MAKING MOVES
The Pirates are making some changes to their bench. Infielders Alen Hanson and Gift Ngoepe will not be traveling with the team to New York after the game.
Ngoepe said he无毛视频檚 being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Hanson is out of options and would have to be waived to be sent down. It无毛视频檚 unclear what the Pirates无毛视频� plans are for him. A spokesperson said the moves will likely not be made official until Friday.
Infielder Max Moroff was scratched for Indianapolis on Wednesday.
Neither player has hit well this season. Ngoepe is hitting .222 in 54 at-bats. Hanson is hitting .193 in 57 at-bats.
BACK IN ACTION
Less than 48 hours after a scary collision with a fence in right field, Gregory Polanco returned to the field on Wednesday.
Polanco injured his right ankle when he crashed into the short fence separating the playing field from the stands in foul territory Monday afternoon. He had to be carted off the field and television replays showed his ankle bending backward at a severe angle as he hit the wall.
Afterward, he was praying that it wasn无毛视频檛 broken and was worried about missing weeks, not days. Instead, it appears he无毛视频檚 made a rapid recovery. X-rays taken on Monday were negative for a break and an MRI Tuesday revealed no structural damage to the joint. The Pirates无毛视频� trainers treated his ankle with ice and cold water and electric stimulation.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 just a bruise,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淲e treated it (Tuesday). We treated it a lot. (Wednesday) I feel a lot better.无毛视频�
Getting him back sooner is huge boost for the Pirates, who seemed likely to be missing Polanco for an extended time.
无毛视频淭he people that watched the replay, I don无毛视频檛 think their hopes were quite as high,无毛视频� manager Clint Hurdle said.
Polanco had just come off the disabled list for a strained left hamstring on May 25. He missed 10 games with that injury, but was hitting .400 with two home runs in four games since his return. On the season, Polanco is hitting .274 with three home runs and 12 RBIs.
Polanco pinch-hit for Kuhl in the fifth inning Wednesday, hitting an RBI single that scored Jose Osuna to tie the game at 2-2.