James McDonald got hit early and often and the Pirates couldn’t comeback for the second day in a row as they dropped a 10 – 6 decision to the Cardinals.
James McDonald seemed to get into trouble right off the bat as he allowed a 2 straight singles (the second coming from a check-swing). Thanks to some terrible base-running by the Cardinals (2 lapses in the inning) they were only able to get a run across.
The Pirates would get that run back in the bottom. Starling Marte would lead off with a double, extending his hitting streak to 9 games. (He’s 7 – 12 with a BB and 2B leading off the 1st) he would score 2 batters later on a Garrett Jones RBI single, 1 – 1 after an inning.
The Cardinals would cash in on their opportunities in the second as Jon Jay would hit a 2 RBI double down the right field line making it 3 – 1. They would plate 5 more runs in the inning after a Clint Barmes throwing error with 2 outs and would add 2 more on the next inning thanks to a Matt Holiday 2 RBI double off of Justin Wilson to finish off the Cardinal scoring.
McDonald would be done after only 1 2/3 innings as he gave up 8 runs (3 earned) on 10 base-runners (8 hits) while not recording a strikeout. “I left the ball up, got behind guys. Good team, good hitters are going to hit.” Said McDonald. “They’re a good team, you make mistakes and they will make you pay.” This is the first time this season that McDonald hasn’t made it past the 5th inning. 5+ IN @ Arizona, 7 vs. Chicago)
Bryan Morris made his 2013 debut in relief going 3 innings of no-hit ball while striking out 1 and walking 3. The bullpen (Wilson, Morris, and Watson) combined for 7 1/3 innings while giving up 2 runs on 2 hits with 5 walks and 2 strikeouts. The bullpen has only given up a combined 13 runs over 53 innings pitched this season.
The Pirates would not go away without a fight, though, as they put 3 up in the bottom half of the 3rd. Snider led off the inning and was scored by a Cutch double. Neil Walker would come up 2 batters later and send one out of left-center to make it 10 – 4. They would put at-least 2 runners on in 4 other innings, but were unable to cash in. “At the end of the day, they had to bring their closer in and we had the tying run on-deck after being down 10 – 1.” Said manager, Clint Hurdle. “I like the way we’re playing, the hiccups we’ve had off the mound have been challenging but we’ve been able to handle them, so far.”
The Buccos would get one more rally going in the 8th. Pinch-hitter, Jose Tabata led the inning off with a single that was followed by Russell Martin getting hit by a pitch. Michael McKenry and Marte would then produce 1-out RBI singles to make it 10 – 6. That would be the most they would get, though, as they left 2 runners on base. (They left runners on base in 6 of 9 innings)
Final Score: Cardinals 10, Pirates 6
Starters Lines:
McDonald (L, 1 – 2, 5.27 ERA) 1 2/3 IN, 8 H, 8 R, 3 ER, 2 BB
Lynn (W, 2 – 0, 5.40 ERA) 5 IN, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K’s, 1 HR
Tomorrow’s Starters:
(PIT) Jonathan Sanchez (0 – 2, 12.96 ERA)
(StL) Jake Westbrook (1 – 1, 0.00 ERA)
