Recap: Slipping. BUCS LOSE.

A slightly better result this time, but it amounts to the same: the Pirates were unable to keep the Phils' ridiculous lineup at bay and got dominated by their ludicrous pitching. Two of the Pirates' runs were probably only scored because Cliff Lee was left in by Charlie Manuel for far too long. Of the Phils' 16 hits, 6 went for extra bases. Of the Bucs' 8, only 1 did (Pedro's 2-run homer). Some power is desperately needed in the lineup. Hopefully the Pirates have at least partially solved that problem by acquiring Derrek Lee, but he probably won't be in the lineup this afternoon. The Pirates' offense in this game came from 4 players: Pedro Ciriaco (2 for 4), Neil Walker (3 for 4), Brandon Wood (2 for 4), and Pedro Alvarez (1 for 3). When over half your lineup doesn't have a hit, especially when those that do have a hit are scattered around the lineup, you're not going to win many games. The Pirates will try to avoid the sweep this afternoon.