So what if the Pirates lost two out of three against the Brewers. It doesn’t mean their slide is happening like last year. “Relax people,” was my response yesterday on Twitter. The Pirates were on their way to face the Colorado Rockies, the 34-54 Rockies at that. A team that uses a four-man rotation with a 75-pitch limit for each starter. This is the game to prove the naysayers wrong.
Except, they didn’t.
The Pirates struck first in the fifth inning as Jeff Karstens, who cut off his wild hair, singled to right field to help his own cause. That however, would be the last of the good news for Karstens who gave up four runs in the bottom of the frame. Two seeing-eye singles and a head scratching route by Josh Harrison in right field put the Rockies ahead.
Karstens was pretty solid throughout the game, as he went seven innings, striking out four and allowing the four runs in the fifth inning.
Throughout the game, it was a torrential downpour but the play continued. That is until the ninth inning when the umpires decided to put the game into a 45 minute long delay with two on and one out as Pedro Alvarez stepped to the dish. In my time watching and covering baseball, it was the strangest delay I have every seen.
Last year in 19 innings, the infamous Jerry Meals call “changed” the Pirates season and instantly, the umpires were being ridiculed by the fans and even the grounds crew at Coors Field. Instead of letting it hurt the Pirates, Alvarez decided to take matters into his own hands.
Jim Tracy went with the left-handed Rex Brothers and sure enough, Alvarez took the first pitch opposite field about 15 rows up for the game-tying home run. That was the fourth home run that Alvarez has hit off a lefty this year.
Unfortunately, the Rockies would win the game on a sacrifice fly by Dexter Fowler in the bottom of the ninth, but once again, the Pirates showed that they won’t go down without putting up a fight.
With the Reds loss earlier, the Pirates are one game out of first place in the National League Central. And as I have been saying, relax. Nine games over .500, this team isn’t last year’s team.
Photo Credits: Getty Images
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