PITTSBURGH — All over the infield they bounced, to second base and third, a line drive to shortstop and a ball Quinn Priester flipped over to first for an out. Through three innings of his MLB debut, Priester was perfect, cruising along by inducing soft contact. But what looked like a storybook night quickly and decidedly took a turn for the worse.
After the 22-year-old right-hander looked so good through three innings, the Cleveland Guardians adjusted to Priester the second and third times through the order, exploding for five-extra base hits during a three-inning stretch and cruising to an 11-0 victory against the Pirates on Monday at PNC Park.
In an odd way, the debut almost mirrored how the Pirates season has played out thus far, their 20-8 start now juxtaposed with a 21-45 (.318) record in their past 66 games.
