PIRATES TAKE SERIES WITH CUBS

Phillip Evans has softened the blow of losing Ke’Bryan Hayes to injury.

1973, striking out 17 in a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers and then throwing seven nohit innings against the Baltimore Orioles before losing his gem on a single by Mark Belanger.

Musgrove made his no-hitter against the Rangers look easy in a 3-0 win. He struck out 10 with no walks although he did hit a batter. He needed 112 pitches to finish the first nohitter in Padres history. Not bad for a local kid from just down the road in El Cajon, Calif.

If an amazing trend holds up from this early baseball season, Musgrove, who also threw six scoreless innings to beat Arizona in his first start, will take a heck of a run at Vander Meer against his old pals.

It is astonishing what former Pirates pitchers have done this month:

• Gerrit Cole is 1-0 with a 1.46 earned run average in two starts for the New York Yankees. He struck out 13 in seven scoreless innings against the Orioles last Tuesday night. Since leaving the Pirates after the 2017 season, he has pitched in a World Series with the Houston Astros and signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees.

• Charlie Morton is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts for the Atlanta Braves. He beat the Philadelphia Phillies Friday night, allowing a run and four hits in six innings. Since leaving the Pirates after the 2015 season, he won a World Series ring with the Astros in 2017, pitched in the World Series with the Rays last season and made two All-Star teams.

• Tyler Glasnow has allowed just five hits and one run with 15 strikeouts in 12 innings of two starts with the Rays. Since leaving the Pirates in the infamous Chris

Archer deal at the 2018 trade deadline, he has pitched in two postseasons with the Rays, including in the World Series last season.

• Jameson Taillon made his Yankees’ debut last Wednesday in a start against the Orioles. Although he gave up three hits and two runs with seven strikeouts in 4⅔ innings, it was considered a successful outing considering it was his first in almost two years after his second Tommy John surgery.

The trend has been so overwhelming that it was shocking Trevor Williams didn’t beat the Pirates Sunday at PNC Park. He had won his first start with the Chicago Cubs against the Milwaukee Brewers last Monday with six strong innings but was no match for the Pirates hitters in a 7-1 loss. He lasted just 3⅓ innings and gave up 10 hits and five runs.

It even was surprising

Archer didn’t throw a shutout for the Rays against the Yankees Saturday. He made his first start since rejoining Tampa Bay in the offseason and had a 3-0 lead but was forced to leave the game after 2⅓ innings with forearm tightness. Rays manager Kevin Cash said the injury doesn’t appear to be serious and is hopeful Archer will miss just one start.

What wasn’t a surprise was that another ex-Pirates player contributed to the Rays’ 4-0 win Saturday. Austin Meadows, who went to Tampa Bay along with Glasnow and pitcher Shane Baz in that 2018 deal involving Archer, hit a home run in the first inning. It was his third of the season.

There has to be a country song somewhere in all of this.