Seven batters were hit in the Pirates’ 8-4 victory over the Padres Tuesday, perhaps not all of them accidental.
The Pirates hit three, including Jorge Mateo twice. The second time came in the eighth inning, and he needed some time to make it down to first base. Tommy Pham was hit near the helmet in the first inning, as well.
It was part of a night where the Pirates' pitching could not find the strike zone.
“We weren't trying to hit anybody, obviously,” Derek Shelton said. “We walked 13 guys, so we struggled with command all game long, and we were winning the game. At no point when you're winning a game are you intentionally trying to hit somebody.”
The Padres hit four -- once on a bounce off Anthony Alford’s leg in the first by Blake Snell. Phillip Evans was plunked by a loose curveball that didn’t break in the sixth, too.
After Mateo was hit in the top of the eighth, though, Padres pitcher Taylor Williams hit Evans on the first pitch of the plate appearance in the back. He had retired the first two batters he faced.
“Yeah, I mean you make the conclusion there,” Shelton said. “There were two outs, nobody on and they hit somebody, so ... ”
Jacob Stallings was more blunt. When asked if he thought Williams’ hit batter was intentional, he responded with a simple, “Yes.”
“Personally, I was not surprised,” he said shortly after.
Williams later hit Adam Frazier in the leg before being pulled.
When asked if he thought it would carry over to Wednesday’s game, Stallings said, “I hope not.” Shelton said he did not think it will.
The Pirates walked 13 batters on the night, the Padres four.
The Pirates and Padres are only halfway done with their four-game set, which will continue Wednesday. Joe Musgrove, a former Pirate, will start for the Padres, with Tyler Anderson going for the Pirates.
