CHRISTOPHER PANSINO – OVATHLETICS.COM
Even thought the Pirates lost 9-3 Wednesday nights, there is a small victory that can be taken from this three game series. They held their own in two of the three games and proved to be a worth contender when the team starts to come together. Though it took a near flawless performance by the Pirates to beat Atlanta in the first two games they did prove that they have the potential of being a legitimate team one day. And that thought is perhaps the scariest of all when evaluating where they are and where they could be with a few changes, as major of minor as they may be.
The Pirates were mauled in tonight’s game. The 9-3 loss was due to Atlanta scoring runs early and often off starter Zack Duke and Daniel McCutchen. Duke had his shorest start of his career tonight going only one inning before being pulled for McCutchen. The two allowed a total of eight runs on eleven hits in only 2 and 1/3 innings. And those stats, split evenly between the two pitchers, put an end to game early.
The Pirates used a total of 8 pitchers tonight in all, working about 1 full inning each. Thought the bullpen after McCutchen allowed three hits and a lone run, much of that could have been Atlanta putting on the offense on cruse control after the first two innings.
The Pirates put up little fight tonight, as they seemed to have whatever momentum from the previous two nights disappeared in the first three innings. The Pirates did manage to score three runs.
In the fifth inning Jose Tabata hit an RBI single to score Lastings Milledge from second. That would be Tabata’s only hit of the night.
Then in the bottom of the ninth the Pirates tried to mount an 8 run comeback, but came up 6 runs short of sending it into extra innings. The rally in the ninth saw eight batters and two runs, but the loss was already in ink and Atlanta was just waiting for it to dry.
Strangely enough the Pirates did not have that bad of a night behind the plate. They managed to scrape together 12 hits, but were unable to convert them into runs. Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez had good games. McCutchen went 2 for 3 today, while Alvarez went 3 for 4 with a run scored. The two center points of the Pirates future are still both hitting below .3oo however.
The Pirates finished up their home stand by knocking Atlanta out of first place by taking two of three. The Pirates will have Thursday off before staring a seven game road trip starting with the NL Central leader Cincinnati Reds.
