Tucker Makes Exciting Plays but Can't Get a Win in Day Three

Cole Tucker showed off his defensive wizardry throughout the night in night three of the MLB The Show 20 tournament, but it wasn't enough to get him a win. He drops to 2-10 on the season as he looks to try and finish strong the rest of the way.

The MLB The Show 20 Players Tournament hasn't gone the way Cole Tucker would have liked in terms of on-field results. He is just 2-10 in the tournament after his third day of play and is sitting in last place in the NL Central by three games. However, he has been making some exciting plays throughout the tournament including a Josh Bell Grand Slam and a complete game two hitter. He continued to play with flare in night three of the tournament showing off his defensive skills with several Pirates players while playing in competitive games.

His night started with a battle against Rhys Hoskins and the Philadelphia Phillies. This was the most competitive game of the tournament for Tucker as the three inning game was tied 0-0 after three. Jameson Taillon got the start and pitched three scoreless innings of work before turning it over to the bullpen in extra innings. Tucker made two great defensive plays to save the game, turning a glove flip double play in the fifth and cutting down a runner at the plate in the sixth. However, the Phillies got to reliever Blake Cederlind for two runs in the top of the sixth and Tucker fell 2-0.

The second game of the day didn't get any easier for Tucker as he had to take on Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres. It was another competitive game for Tucker that would go into extra innings. Chris Archer got the start and once again threw three scoreless innings to start that game. Neither team could get on the scoreboard, so they moved on to extra innings. After Tucker was held off the board in the top of the fourth, Tatis Jr. hit a walk-off double with Trent Grisham in the bottom of the fourth and Tucker dropped his second game of the day.

In game three, Tucker jumped out to an early lead against Eduardo Rodriguez of the Boston Red Sox with an RBI single from Josh Bell in the top of the first. Trevor Williams pitched a scoreless top of the first, however, Nick Burdi was tagged for three runs in the top of the 2nd and Tucker found himself behind again 3-1. Cederlind threw his first scoreless inning of the day in the top of the third and Bryan Reynolds got the Pirates to within one with an RBI single in the bottom of the third that made it 3-2. However, that was all Tucker could manage in the inning and he fell to 0-3 on the day.

His final game of the day came against Blake Snell and the Tampa Bay Rays as Tucker was trying to salvage atleast one game. However, this one was doomed from the start as Tucker gave up a two-run home run in the first and a three-run home run in the second accounting for five of Snell's six runs. Tucker managed to only get one hit in the game and fell to 0-4 on the day, dropping his season record to 2-10. While the results weren't what Tucker was hoping for, he is having fun and playing for a good cause.

With his record sitting at 2-10, he now sits in last place in the NL Central and is three games behind Matt Carpenter, who is 5-7. Josh Hader (MIL) jumped to third in the division at 6-6 while Amir Garrett (CIN) overtook Ian Happ (CHC) for the top spot in the division at 8-4. With 16 games left on the schedule, Tucker still has time to make up ground and get back in the tournament. However, he is going to have to limit his losses and play some of the best games he's had in the tournament.

Tucker has two days off before returning to tournament action on Tuesday with four more games. He will take on Nick Goodrum (DET), Jesus Luzardo (OAK), Luke Jackson (ATL), and Trevor May (MIN). Tucker would probably have to win at least two of those games and get some help to get back in the tournament and make a run for Garrett's spot atop the division.

You can follow Cole Tucker's run through the MLB The Show 20 Players Tournament right here and watch the games live on Tucker's twitch https://www.twitch.tv/Cotuck

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