Cueto. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	8	1	9
	8	12	0	8

Johnny Cueto.  He's apparently the Bronson Arroyo of 2010 for the Reds against the Pirates.  It wasn't until he was relieved in the 7th that the Pirates were able to score a run, an Aki Iwamura RBI single.

Charlie Morton.  Despite all the talk about his great "stuff" (and I hate that term), he has only been able to grind out a win in one game out of ten.  Granted, he hasn't had much help from the Pirate bats, but in seven out of his ten appearances he has given up 5 or more runs.  Everyone has bad days.  A few outings where he gives up a lot of runs would be okay at this point in the season, but not 70% of the time.  His ERA went up again after this game to 9.35.  On a good team he would have been gone long before now.  It's time to send him down to Indy or try and trade him (probably not a lot of offers at this point, but he might be worth a low draft pick from a bad team like Houston or Baltimore.  Someone probably still thinks his "stuff" will get him somewhere), and give Brad Lincoln a try in the big leagues.  If he doesn't work out right away, there's always Karstens to pick up a few games.

UPDATE: Morton has apparently been placed on the DL, and Steven Jackson has been called up from the St. Louis Rams.

The Pirates bats were quiet as usual, even though they did pick up 8 hits.  Clement and Cedeno combined for 5 of those hits, going 3 for 4 and 2 for 4 with a walk respectively.  As mentioned previously, Aki got a hit as a pinch hitter and extended his streak to 5 games.  I think he was really having problems with an injury which was hampering his ability to hit and field effectively.  Maybe now that he is apparently healthy we can start to see more of the Aki that was part of the Rays AL Championship team in 2008.  The only Bucco RBIs came from him and Cedeno.

Overall this series was a bust, as the Reds are really surging lately and the Pirates, well, they never seem to surge.  It's not going to get any better in Atlanta I fear, but the Cubs series after that seems promising.

Shutout #7. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	0	6	3	8
	4	10	0	11

Didn't get to see much of this game, but what I did see was pretty bad.  Ross Ohlendorf looked really shaky on the mound, walking 5 batters.  The defense behind him wasn't much better with 3 errors recorded.  Somehow, none of the errors led to runs.  The Pirates just couldn't get anything going all game, and as a result were shut out for the 7th time this year, and the 3rd time against the Reds.  Neil Walker was the best Pirates batter, going 2 for 4.  Aki Iwamura extended his hit streak to 4 games after being so terrible for most of the month.

Pirates try to avoid the series loss tonight against Johnny Cueto, who held the Buccos to one hit in a complete game last time around.  Not exactly promising.  Still, if the overall series record is any indication, the Bucs should win to tie the series again.

GAME.

Another Doumit Dinger. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	11	0	6
	1	8	0	7

Tight pitcher's duel in this game.  Leake was very good, Maholm was even better.  Through the 7th, Maholm had only thrown 89 pitches, 54 of which were strikes.  No more than two batters for either team got on base in any half inning this game.  Score was still tied at 0 in the 8th when Aki Iwamura got a triple because the Reds' outfielder lost the ball in the sky.  One play later Neil Walker, the International League doubles leader and freshly called up player from Indianapolis, hit his first Major League double of the season, scoring Iwamura.  He then got picked off at second, somewhat tarnishing his effort in the inning.  Still, the Pirates had the lead, and their excellent bullpen was coming in to pitch the final two innings.

But the lead would not last for very long.  In the bottom of the 8th, Joel Hanrahan, part of the Meek-Hanrahan-Dotel trio which has been so effective all year, allowed only his 3rd home run all year to Brandon Phillips.  He was able to escape the inning with the score tied, but the W was taken from Paul Maholm, who has been very good all year but somewhat unlucky with the bullpen.  Hanrahan gets a blown save, and would also get the W.

To the 9th, where Ryan Doumit smacks 2 out homer to deep right center, his 2nd game-winning home run in the last 3 games.

Octavio Dotel shuts the Reds down in the bottom, preserving the win and earning his 10th save of the year, good for 5th on the NL list.

GAME.

Walk-off. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	8	0	7
	3	11	1	11

It's always good to end a series on a high note, even if you lose overall.  Especially when going on a road trip.  It can build momentum.  The Pirates will need it when they roll into Cincy, where the Commies are only a half game behind the Division leading Cards.

Atllanta took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd off a David Ross single, a run which was not charged to Zach Duke due to a throwing error by Ronny Cedeno.  The Duke was in rare form today, earning no runs and striking out 5 in his 7 innings.

Very little happened for the next 4 innings, as both pitchers were pitching well.  But in the bottom of the 6th, the Bucs took a 2-1 lead off a Cutch triple which led to a Steve Pearce sac, and a Ryan Doumit single which scored GFJ later in the inning.

But Atlanta wasn't done yet.

Evan Meek gives up only his 3rd ER of the year, and his first homer, to former Pirate Eric Hinske in the 8th.  Unfortunate since it meant that Duke would not get a win after a 0 ER performance.

Neither team could get anything else through 9, so it's on to the tenth.

A bit of a scare in the top as Octavio Dotel loads the bases, but he gets a big K to end the half.

To the bottom.  Steve Pearce strikes out, and Clutch flies out too.  Ryan Doumit steps up to the plate.

Walk-off Home Run.

GAME.

---

Miscellaneous shit

Aki Iwamura finally ends his hitless streak, going 2 for 5 today with a double.  Cutch went 2 for 4 with a walk and Ryan Doumit went 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs and of course the game-winning home run.

Zach Duke's ERA drops to 4.47 with the no ER performance today.  It would be only 2.74 if the two bad performances against Milwaukee are excluded.

Octavio Dotel gets the win, his second of the year.

Another Shutout. Bucs SWEPT

	R	H	E	LOB
	5	10	0	5
	0	4	0	2

Simply an awful few days for the Burgh.  The Igloo closes with a heartbreaker, and the Bucs get swept by a team that they swept earlier in the year.  The weather was perfect for it though - cold, wet, and miserable.

The game was essentially the same as last game.  Bucs' offense failed to do much of anything.  You could tell this one was over after the 1st inning.  It was just that kind of game.

The Commies took a 4-0 lead through the 2nd, and tacked on another in the 4th.  Bullpen returned to its normal great form after Duke got yanked after only 5 innings, allowing 9 hits and 2 homers.  The bullpen allowed 1 hit and struck out 6.  Once again the problems lie with our starting rotation and the hitting.

Oh my, the hitting.  The best hitter today was Garrett Jones, going 2 for 3.  I hope those 2 hits means a return to the GFJ we all know and love, because he certainly has been in a slump lately.  After a bright start to the season and briefly leading the league in homers, his power bat has gone mostly quiet.

Aki Iwamura, despite doing decent earlier in the season, now has an average of  .169 and an OBP of just .267.  That's not good enough for the leadoff position.  He hasn't gotten a hit since May 7, and hasn't even been ON BASE since a walk on May 9.  He has just 2 hits and 4 walks in the entire month of May.

Steve Pearce got a hit today.  Still haven't seen anything from him that indicates he can hit the ball the way he did in Indianapolis.  He looks a lot like he did at the end of last year.

Lastings Milledge has performed okay, but still haven't seen anything that resembles the power hitter he was supposed to be.  He still is the only player eligible for the batting race on the Pirates to not have a home run yet (insert joke about the home run that wasn't).  Hell, Bobby Crosby has a home run.  Aki Iwamura has 2.

Batting needs to get infinitely better for the Bucs to have any chance this year, but I think most of us knew it wasn't going to happen this year anyway.  I'd still take a miracle from my beloved Buccos any time though.

Sorry for the downer post today, I'm still shocked about the Pens.  With June should bring some new faces to the Pirates' major league club.  Can't get here soon enough.

Epic. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	6	13	0	12
	5	10	0	10

Damn, it feels good to win a series in Milwaukee.  And this game was absolutely incredible to watch.  By the 13th inning, I couldn't sit still and started pacing back and forth in front of my TV.  I just can't express in words how happy I am that the Pirates proved me wrong by winning this series.  I lost track of the stated goal of this blog, but then again, it was one of the worst stretches in Pirates history.  The way they played in these last two games showed the talent I knew this team had since the first series of the season.  All we need now is for the Pirates to keep their level of play this high for the rest of the season.  Easier said than done, obviously.

Bucs started  things off strong with 2 homers in the 1st; the first, by Andy LaRoche, scored two runs; the second, by Cutch, was a solo shot.  Then the bats went quiet for 7 innings as Milwaukee slowly built a 4-3 lead.  Paul Maholm had another solid outing, keeping the Brewers' bats relatively quiet over his 7 IP.  His 5 BB is a little concerning, but his 6 Ks made up for it.  Maholm has been the most consistent starter for the Bucs, as he has not given up more than 4 ER in a start.

In the top of the ninth, Ryan Doumit happened.  A solo dinger ties the game and gives Trevor Hoffman his second blown save in as many games.  The Beers might want to start looking for a new closer, because he looks like he's running on fumes at this point.

In the tenth, both teams scored a run to keep it even.  Cutch had his second homer of the game.  But Casey McGehee drove in Lloyd Braun to tie it back up.

Nothing terribly interesting happened in the 11th or 12th.  In the 11th, Andy LaRoche was thrown out of the game for throwing his bat to the ground after a called 3rd strike.  Bobby Crosby took over his duties for the rest of the game.  A couple Bucs hits in the 12th, but mostly it was guys going down in order.

In the 13th, there was a scare as Escobar hit a single to left-center and it looked like Edmonds was going to score.  Milledge throws to home where Ryan Doumit is waiting.  Praise the Lord, he made the tag!

And so it's on to the 14th.  Iwamura beats a throw to first for a single.  But then Crosby and Cutch line out and fly out.  Somebody has to step up.  The Legend comes to the plate.  He hits a single to far right.  Aki scores.  6-5.  All that's left is for Carrasco to finish it off.  He takes them down in order.

GAME.

---

Miscellaneous shit

• The Beers' decision to pinch-hit Edmonds for Corey Hart in the 10th looks like a terrible decision in retrospect.  Not only did he fail to reach base, but on the game-winning hit by Garrett Jones, he made an absolutely awful throw to the infield, which allowed Iwamura, who had started the play at first base, to reach home safely.  Not to mention that tag at the plate in the 13th.

• Andy LaRoche's bat quieted somewhat in this game, only going 1 for 5, a two-run homer in the 1st.  Not to worry, though, as Cutch went 4 for 7 and Iwamura went 3 for 6 with a walk.  Both scored two runs.  GFJ also had two hits, including the game-winning RBI in the 14th.

• All but one of the Bucs' runs came off homers.  The sole exception was Garrett Jones's game-winning single in the 14th.

• This is the first series the Bucs have won in Milwaukee since a late-July series in 2006.  Coincidentally, Maholm was the starting pitcher in the series-winning third game back then as well.

• Bucs now stand at 9-12, currently tied for 4th in the division with Milwaukee.  Incredibly, second place is only one win away.  First place is still a ways away, with 5 games between the Bucs and the Cards.

• It's effin' TIME. woooo

Even Steven. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	3	7	0	9
	4	9	2	9

This game was ugly, no questions about it.  It started with a rain delay that pushed back the start of the game over an hour.  There was a Penguins playoff game going on at the same time, so it's impossible to say how the players looked since the game wasn't on TV.  The most surprising thing about the game is not that the Bucs won,  but that the attendance for the game was over 14 thousand.  For a cold, rainy day when another Pittsburgh team is playing a much more important game across town, that's pretty encouraging.

The game started off strong with the Pirates scoring 2 in the 1st off two sacs from Lasting Milledge and Garrett Jones.  Milledge had a huge game.

A bit of a scare in the 2nd as Andy LaRoche left the game with back spasms.  Bobby Crosby replaced him for the rest of the game.

The Bucs opened up a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd with an Aki Iwamura single which scored Bobby Crosby.  Yeah.  Two Crosbys scored in the same night for Pittsburgh teams.

Nothing much happened after that for a while.  Zach Duke was outstanding, allowing no more than 1 hit in any of his 7 (!) innings, and twice taking the Reds batters down in order.

Then the 8th happened.  Zach Duke walked some joke to start the inning and was promptly relieved.  Joel Hanrahan came in and walked a guy, but was able to get two outs.  Then he was relieved. Javier Lopez comes in.  He walks two more guys and the Reds were on the board, 3-1.  So Brendan Donnelly comes in.  He walks another guy.  3-2.  Finally a foul ball is caught to end the inning.  3 relievers, 5 walks.  So ugly.  Bucs go down in order in the bottom of the 8th.  You knew this lead wasn't safe.

Somehow the first Cincinnati batter gets a triple.  The usual drama for the Pirates closer Octavio Dotel.  He strikes out the next guy.  But then Cabrera kills the Duke's chance of going 3-0 with a sac.  Dotel strikes out the last guy and they go to the bottom of 9th tied at 3.  You might think FSN would put this on TV since the Pens coverage is over, but they're showing tennis or something.

Cedeno and Iwamura both strike out.  McCutch gets a single and then steals second.  That's stolen base #6.  So Lasting Milledge comes up to the plate.  He fell behind in the count 1-2.  Looks like we're heading to extra innings.  Then he takes two balls to make the count full.  He fouls one off.  Hold the phone.  He hits to game-winning walk-off single to score McCutch.  4-3.

GAME.

---

Miscellaneous shit

The Bucs are back at .500.  The Reds fall to 5-6.

McCutch, Aki "Gun" Iwamura, and Cedeno all went 2-2 to lead the Bucs batting attack.

This was a pitching duel just like I thought it was going to be.  Both starters went 7 innings.  Leake walked 5, but only one led to a score (Andy LaRoche/Bobby Crosby PR in the 2nd).  Duke did end up with one Earned Run, but that was a result of the walk parade in the 8th.

Bucs look to win the series later today.

Dead even. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	6	9	0	5
	5	11	1	7

The end of this game is what I like to imagine playoff baseball is like.

The Bucs started out by taking a slow 3-0 lead through the 3rd, including an Aki Iwamura homer to left field.  How clutch has he been so far?  Very.

This lead was slowly eaten away by the Giants and by the end of the 6th the score was tied at 3.  The Pirates bats couldn't get anything from the 4th through the 7th.  The Pirates went down in order in 5 total innings (2nd, 4th-7th).  In 3 of those the batters were Andy LaRoche, Paul Maholm/Ryan Church, and Ronny Cedeno.  Hmm.

But then the Pirates were able to score one in the 8th to take the 4-3 lead thanks to a costly error by Edgar Renteria.  If that ball doesn't bounce out of his glove it was almost certainly an easy double play and the Bucs do not win this game.  Brendan Donnelly (who has been pretty clutch so far) gets things done in the bottom of the 8th by taking the Giants' bats down in order.

So, top of the 9th, Pirates up 4-3.  Bobby Crosby strikes out.  And Andy LaRoche is up to bat.  Oh boy, here we go.

What? A home run? Andy LaRoche?

Yes, it's true.  He blasts it out of the park to center.

5-3.

Then Ryan Church, who struck out in the 7th, hits a triple because some jobber on the Giants misplays the ball.  Aki Iwamura hits a clutch single to score Church.

6-3.

Ok, so the Bucs are up 6-3 in the bottom of the ninth, a comfortable lead for solid closer Octavio Dotel, right?

Wrong.

Pinch-hitter Eugenio Velez hits a two-run homer to deep right.  Suddenly, it's 6-5, and the Giants are at the top of their order.

But Dotel calms down and gets it together.  He takes the next three down, including a panda, which I guess must've escaped from the zoo or something.  Only in San Francisco.

GAME.

---

Miscellaneous shit

Paul Maholm made an amazing rolling scoop glove throw in the 3rd.  You can watch it here (the #1 play).

Garrett Jones made a nice reaching catch to end the game.  He had a nice game in other areas too, with 3 hits and 2 RBIs.

Ryan Doumit had a nice hit in the 3rd, scoring McCutch,  but got a little greedy trying to stretch it into a double.

Speaking of McCutchen, he appears to be getting into stride as he had a hit, scored 3 runs, and stole 2 bases.

Pirates now lead the NL in stolen bases with 8 (tied with Dodgers).  Their basestealing percentage is still 100%.

The Pirates pitchers, not normally known for strikeouts, had a nice outing with 8 combined.  Maholm had 3 over 5, Meek had 3 over 2, and Donnelly had 2 over 1 inning.

Bucs try to win the series in about 2.5 hours.

Trolley job. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	3	7	0	7
	9	12	0	10

This game didn't even attempt to tease you into thinking the Pirates had a shot at winning.  At the end of the 1st inning, you knew it was over.

KALI MAA.

Really nothing interesting to talk about in this one.  No homers for the Bucs, Garrett Jones and McCutch were pretty much invisible, and you could tell why Burres was picked in the 31st round of the draft.  Once again, a Pirates pitcher fails to go at least 6 innings.  Had Ohlendorf been the starter, it's possible this game's outcome would be different.  The one thing I can say is that Aki Iwamura and Ronny Cedeno have been surprisingly decent pickups by the management.  They had the only RBIs for the Pirates in this game.

And so here we are.  One game under .500.  Didn't take too long.  Of course, expectations weren't that high coming in.  Still early in the year though.  The season is 162 games long.  It remains to be seen what will happen.

GAME.

Over the Hump. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	6	9	2	6
	3	5	1	4

Great to get a win after those two ugly losses.  Don't have much to say about this game as it wasn't on TV and there's only so much you can glean from a boxscore.

The Duke got the start today instead of Daniel McCutchen, who will start tomorrow.  With his two wins, he's now the leader in the NL.  He had a very solid start today, pitching 6 scoreless innings until giving 2 up in the 7th.  56 of his 99 pitches were strikes.

Bucs got their runs from people other than the usual scorers today.  Homers came from Iwamura and Clement.  Pretty rare.  RBIs also came from Milledge and Cedeno.  Andy LaRoche had a decent outing, going 2 for 4 and scoring a run.

Haren for the Diamondbacks as expected had a lot of Strikeouts (Doumit struck out every time he was at bat), but still gave up 6 over 6.6 innings.  Very encouraging for the Pirates to steal that many from a strong starter like him.

Bucs' record improves to 3-2 and sole possession of 2nd place in the NL Central.  St. Louis has the best record in the division at 4-1.

Hope the Bucs can pull out the series win tomorrow.

GAME.