Stat break: 2017 Pittsburgh Pirates

Hitters

Name              AB   R   H   RBI  2B  3B  HR  BB  SB  Avg,
J Bell               46    6   11    3        4    1    2      1      0    .239
Cervelli           38    3     5    1        2    0     0     6      0    .132
Diaz                  5     1     1    2        1    0     0     0      0    .200
A Frazier          9     2     5     1       0    0    0      1      0    .556
Freese             43     4   10    6        3    0    1      5      0    .233
Harrison          46     5   11    2        3    0    0      3      0    .239
Jaso                   6     2     2    3         1    0   1      1      0    .333
Marte              54     4     7    5         1    1    0      1      0    .130
McCutchen     46     3    11   7        3    0    1      4       0    .239
Mercer            44     3     7    4        6    0    1       3      0    .159
Moroff              8     0     1    0        0     0    0      2      0     .125
Polanco           45     7   16    7        0    0    2       1      1    .356
S Rodriguez      6     0     0    0        0    0    0       0      0    .000

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.   W    L     ERA

Benoit               7      0       7.6       2     0       0      2      5       0      0    0        0.00

Brault                2      0       6          6     4      4       1      4       0      1     0       6.00

Cole                  4      4    18.3      27   16     15    10     12       0      1    3       7.36

Hudson             7      0      6.6        7     2      2       3       5       0      0    0       2.70

Kontos              5     0       4.3       5     1       1       2      4        0      1     0      2.08
Kuhl                 2       2     9.3      10     7      6       4      7        0      0     0       5.79

LeBlanc            6      0      9.3       8     4       4       3      0       0      1     0       3.85

Mairnez            4      0      6.6       6     2       2       1      4        0     0     0       2.70
Nova                 3     3     17.3     18     7       6      6       5        0     1     0       3.16

Rivero               3      0       2.6      2     1       1      0      3       1      0      0       3.37

Taillon               3     3     11.3    19    13    12       4      6        0     1      2       9.53

Williams            2     0       6         6      3       3      1      8       0      0      1       4.50

Paul bracket: 2017 Red Sox defeat 2017 Pirates in six games

Game 1: Red Sox 8, Pirates 2
WP: Sale (2-0)
LP: Cole (1-2)
HR: Polanco (2), Ramirez (1), Devers (2)

Game 2: Pirates 3, Red Sox 2
WP: Taillon (1-1)
LP: Pomeranz (1-1)
Save: Rivero (1)
HR: Bogaerts (3)

Game 3: Red Sox 6, Pirates 3
WP: Boyer (2-0)
LP: TWilliams (0-1)
Save: Kimbel (2)
HR: Moreland (3)

Game 4: Pirates 5, Red Sox 4 (10 innings)
WP: Kontos (1-0)
LP: Hembree (0-1)
HR: Bradley (2)

Game 5: Red Sox 8, Pirates 4
WP: Sale (3-0)
LP: Cole (1-3)
HR: Betts (1), D Freese (1), J Bell (2)

Game 6: Red Sox 3, Pirates 1
WP: Pomeranz (2-1)
LP: Taillon (1-2)
Save: Kimbrel (3)

The series opened in Fenway Park, where Chris Sale allowed two runs on four hits in six innings. Andrew Benintendi went 5-for-5, driving in three runs and scoring once. He had three doubles. Gregory Polanco had three hits for the visitors and scored both Pittsburgh runs.

The Pirates evened the series in Game Two on the strength of a three-run fourth inning highlighted by Francisco Cervelli's two-run double. Xander Bogearts hit a two-run homer off winner Jonathan Taillon in the sixth to account for Boston's runs.

The series shifted to PNC Park, and Benitendi had three more hits in Boston's Game Three win. Mitch Moreland homered in the seventh off Trevor Williams to break a 3-3 deadlock. Blaine Boyer vultured the win in relief of Rick Porcello.

The Pirates even the series again with a 10-inning win. Josh Bell opened the 10th off Heath Hembree with a double. He moved to third on a ground out and scored on David Freese's fly ball. Jackie Bradley Jr. scored three runs for Boston; he homered and walked twice. Josh Harrison drove in two runs for Pittsburgh.

Game Five was Chris Sale again for the Red Sox. He took a no-hitter into the seventh. Bell homered to end the no-hitter and the shutout. The Red Sox scored six runs off Garrett Cole in the first three innings and cruised to the win despite allowing three runs in the final two innings.

The Sox wrapped it up in Game Six behind Drew Pomeranz, who allowed no runs in 6.2 innings. He scattered four hits and walked four. Benintendi scored two of Boston's three runs, and Craig Kimbrel struck out all four men he faced for the save.

Player of the series: Andrew Benintendi

Projected rotation: Sale-Porcello-Pomeranz-Price or Rodriguez-(Sale)-(Porcello)-(Pomeranz)

Stat break: 2017 Pittsburgh Pirates

Hitters

Name              AB   R   H   RBI  2B  3B  HR  BB  SB  Avg,
J Bell               22    2     6    2        1    1    1     0      0    .273
Cervelli           22     2    4    0        1    0     0     2      0    .182
Diaz                  3     0     0    0        0    0     0     0      0    .000
A Frazier          2     1     1     0       0    0    0      0      0    .500
Freese             20     2     6    2        2    0    0      5      0    .300
Harrison          22     4     7    0        2    0    0      2      0    .318
Jaso                   5     2     2    2         1    0   1      1      0    .400
Marte              29     2     5    5         1    1    0      0      0    .172
McCutchen     25     3     8    6        1    0    1      1       0    .320
Mercer            24     2     4    3        3    0    1       2      0    .167
Moroff              2     0     0    0        0    0    0       1      0    .000
Polanco           23     2   10    5        0    0    1       1      1    .435
S Rodriguez      2     0     0    0        0    0    0       0      0    .000

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.   W    L     ERA

Benoit               4      0       4.6       0     0       0      2      4       0      0    0        0.00

Brandt               3      0       3          1     1      1       1      0       0      1     0       3.00

Cole                  2      2    10.3      12     5      4       7     7       0       1     1        3.48

Hudson             4      0      4.3        5     2      2       1     2       0        0    0       4.17

Kontos              3      0      1.3       2     1       1       1      2        0      0     0      6.77
Kuhl                 1       1     4.3        5     3      3       1      5        0      0     0       6.24

LeBlanc            4      0      3.6       3     1       1       0      0       0      1     0       2.45

Mairnez            2      0      3.6       6     2       2       1      2        0     0     0       4.90
Nova                 2     2     12.3     13     4       3      2       5        0     1     0       2.19

Rivero               2      0       1.6      2     1       1      0      2       0      0      0       5.39

Taillon               1     1       0.3      6     8       8      2      0        0      0     1   218.00

Williams            1     0       4         2     0       0      1      5       0      0      0       0.00

Paul bracket: 2017 Pirates defeat 1924 Tigers in six games

Game 1: Pirates 7, Tigers 1
WP: Cole (1-0)
LP: Whitehill (0-1)
HR: McCutchen (1), Cobb (1), Bell (1), Jaso (1)

Game 2: Pirates 3, Tigers 2
WP: LeBlanc (1-0)
LP: Dauss (0-1)
Save: Rivero (1)
HR: Rigney (1)

Game 3: Tigers 11, Pirates 3
WP: Stoner (1-0)
LP: Taillon (0-1)
HR: Polanco (1), Manush (1)

Game 4: Pirates 5, Tigers 4
WP: Brault (1-0)
LP: Dauss (0-2)
HR: Heilmann (1)

Game 5: Tigers 4, Pirates 1
WP: Whitehill (1-1)
LP: Cole (1-1)
HR: Cobb (2)

Game 6: Pirates 6, Tigers 5
WP: Nova (1-0)
LP: Collins (01)
Save: Rivero (2)
HR: Mercer (1)


The 11-seeded Pirates won three one-run games, two of them with ninth-inning rallies, to defeat the sixth-seeded Tigers.

The opener was Pittsburgh's "easy" win. Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run homer in the sixth to put the Pirates in the lead, and four Pittsburgh relievers held the Tigers scoreless in the final four innings. Josh Harrison scored three runs for the Pirates.

Jody Mercer doubled in two unearned runs with two out in the ninth inning of the second game to put the Pirates in the lead. One of the two runs the Tigers scored was also unearned as starters Ivan Nova and Rip Collins dueled to no-decisions.

The series shifted to PNC Park for Game Three, and the Tigers feasted on Jameson Taillon. He faced nine men and retired only one of them. Harry Heilmann cleared the bases with a double, and Les Burke doubled home a pair in the inning as well. The Tigers scored nine runs in the inning. Lil Stoner went the distance for Detroit.

Heilmann's sixth-inning homer in Game Four put the Tigers up 5-4, and it appeared Detroit was about to even the series. But the Pirates opened the bottom of the ninth with a pinch-hit walk off Dutch Leonard. Hooks Dauss entered and got a flyout, but then Harrison doubled and McCutchen singled, with Harrison easily beating Heine Manush's throw to the plate wth the winning run.

Ty Cobb's three-run homer in the fifth inning of Game 5 gave Earl Whitehill the runs he needed. The lefty scatted seven hits in the complete game victory to stave off elimination.

The series returned to Detroit's Navin field for Game 6. Sterling Marte tripled home two runs in the third to put the Pirates ahead, and the Tigers never caught up despite scoring three runs in the top of the ninth against three Pittsburgh relievers. Felipe Rivero retired Manush and Frank O'Rourke with the tying run on base to end the game and the series.

Player of the Series: Andrew McCutchen

Player availability: Ivan Nova can't pitch until Game 3.

Projected rotation: Cole-Taillon-Nova-Kuhl-(Cole)-(Taillon)-(Nova)