3B Aramis Ramirez hits an RBI triple. (USA Today)
DENVER — The big storyline of Tuesday was the Pirates’ chance at clinching a third consecutive playoff berth. They needed to win. They did. They needed the Washington Nationals to lose. They did. They needed the San Francisco Giants to lose. They didn’t.
But the troubling story was Aramis Ramirez’s early exit. After tripling in the fourth and making a nice defensive play the following inning to start a double play, Ramirez left in the fifth with left groin tightness.
Afterward, Ramirez explained he’d felt his groin grab a bit as he rounded second — “When I was flying around the bases for that triple,” he said, drawing laughter. He showed no noticeable limp and said he would be reevaluated Wednesday.
“We'll tell him just to stay at second next time,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “The kid came out of him."
"First [triple] of the year,” Ramirez said. “Maybe the last one, too.”
The Pirates certainly hope this isn’t the last they see of Ramirez in uniform, and so far there’s been no indication that the injury will end his season. Not much time left in the year, but we’ll have to wait for an update before debating whether he’s played his last game as a Pirate.
Even if Ramirez, a .252 hitter this season with 17 homers, is out for a few games, the Pirates can sub in the very capable Josh Harrison, their opening-day third baseman, but to lose Jung Ho Kang and Ramirez in a week’s time would be a pretty tough blow for the Pirates.
• Game story: Pirates trim magic number to one, don’t wait around for the Giants
• Notebook: Jordy Mercer embracing a bigger role with Kang gone
• Ron Cook: Pirates, fans shouldn’t take clinching for granted
• Tuesday’s Pirates chat transcript
Ramirez slides into third safely. (AP)
First Published: March 24, 2016, 5:00 p.m.
