J.A. Happ, a non-waiver Trade Deadline insurance acquisition who has paid a huge premium, pitched the Pirates into home-field advantage for the National League Wild Card Game presented by Budweiser, hurling six shutout innings Sunday in the Bucs’ 4-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
The Pirates’ 98th win of the season clinched top-seed Wild Card status over the Cubs, despite Chicago’s 3-1 victory in Milwaukee. The Cubs won their last eight games of the regular season but could not head off Pittsburgh. Right-handers Jake Arrieta of the Cubs and Gerrit Cole of the Pirates will square off Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET (on TBS) in PNC Park.
“It should be exciting. I think everybody is really happy that we’ll have the game here,” said Happ — one of the newcomers in the Pirates’ clubhouse who did not experience the team’s 2013-14 Wild Card games.
Happ improved to 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA since joining the Pirates, holding the Reds to three hits while striking out seven with three walks.
“You just try to treat it as any other game,” said the low-key left-hander, of being able to sustain the efficient pitching in his two-month Pittsburgh tenure amid the high-stakes pressure. “The early score [a first-inning run] helped, then we played some sharp defense and [catcher Francisco Cervelli] called a great game.”
Josh Smith, making possibly the last of 64 consecutive starts by Cincinnati rookie pitchers, went four innings and allowed seven hits, including a fourth-inning solo homer by Pedro Alvarez estimated at 479 feet.
“It would have been a nice game to win for sure. We just couldn’t get anything going,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “Happ’s been good with the Pirates, really good. We just couldn’t create a great deal of scoring opportunity against him and they got to their primary [bullpen] guys — [Joakim] Soria, [Tony] Watson and [Mark] Melancon. You’ve really got your work cut out for you when you have to come back from three or four runs down against that trio.”
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