Hold 'em. Bucs WIN

	R	H	E	LOB
	2	5	1	7
	0	4	0	7

On a windy day in Los Angeles, the Bucs drag out a win to make it 3 in a row.  Ryan Doumit hits a triple to drive in 2.  That was it for scoring in this game.

Brian Burres wasn't great, but he was good enough to get it done with no runs allowed, although he walked 4 (including the final 2 batters he faced in the 6th).

Jack Taschner and Evan Meek played great shutdown baseball in relief with 3 Ks.

GAME.

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Miscellaneous shit

Great to see the Bucs grind out a win and shut out the Dodgers. Also great to see them hold the lead when the offense went quiet.

Evan Meek has only 1 ER in 15 IP (0.60 ERA).

Only 2 games under now.  Go get another one, boys.

Redux. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	8	12	0	10
	0	4	1	9

Another year, another loss to the Brewers.  What is it about this team that gives the Pirates fits every year?  It's not like they have been  powerhouse team so far, like the Cardinals.  In fact, they have been pretty awful.  So why do they always show up to play in these games like it's the World Series?  And why do the Pirates always play like it's game 1 of spring training?

Anyway.

Essentially the same game as last night, just the scoring was more spread out.  However, the Bucs could not muster even a single tally unlike last night.  Zach Duke gave up 7 runs, 6 of them Earned, over his 5 IP, including 3 HR; he was pulled in the 6th.  Evan Meek and Jack Taschner were okay in relief, allowing a combined 5 hits and 1 ER over 4 innings.

GAME.

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Miscellaneous shit

Lastings Milledge had his 5-game hit streak snapped, going 0 for 4 with 3 Ks.

Zach Duke had the only extra-base hit for the Pirates, a double in the 5th.  He was promptly tagged out on the next play, a grounder to the shortstop, after wandering off the bag and not paying attention to where the ball was hit.

The Bucs struck out 13 times against the Brewers' pitchers, 10 of which were thrown by Gallardo.

Pirates try to avoid getting swept tomorrow at 12:35.  Then it's off to Houston for a 3 game series with the Astros.

Morton's Meltdown, Part Deux. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	8	9	1	8
	1	6	1	7

Not much to say about this one.  Charlie Morton was god-awful and only pitched for one inning, giving up 6 ER.  Brian Burres was slightly better, giving up 2 ER and 3 hits in 4 innings.  Relief after that was solid for the Bucs, with Carrasco, Taschner and Lopez pitching 4 straight hitless innings.

The problem was the Bucs offense, with Lastings Milledge hitting the Pirates' only RBI.  That's not going to get it done.  Although to be fair, Morton's pitching didn't give them much of a chance to get into it, as the game was basically over after 2 innings.

GAME.

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Miscellaneous shit

Andrew McCutchen had a 3 hit, 1 run game and now has a hit in 8 of the 13 games the Pirates have played.

Lastings Milledge has a hit in 5 straight games, and has a hit in 10 of 13 games.

I still believe that Morton can do well, but it might take some time in the minors or relief pitching to get him back on track.  The problem is that Ross Ohlendorf is still on the DL and the Pirates really don't have anyone else to start other than Brian Burres and, if you're really optimistic, Jeff Karstens.  Brad Lincoln is not ready to make the jump from AAA just yet.  So for now, Morton is the best out of that bunch, and he will continue to get the start.

This was a bad loss, no doubt about it.  But there are still two more chances in the series for the Bucs to get a win.  Duke starts next, and should have a good chance to get a win.  Daniel McCutchen must have a really strong game in his start to pull out a win, but it is still possible.

Goose Egg. Bucs LOSE

	R	H	E	LOB
	0	3	0	6
	6	10	0	3

This game was balls.  I didn't get to watch most of it because it was an afternoon game, but just looking at the box you can tell it sucked.

Charlie Morton gave up 4 in the 2nd and added 2 more in the 5th.  Surprisingly, he lasted 6 innings though.

The best Pirate batter was Lastings Milledge, who went 2 for 4 with two singles.  Ronny Cedeno also had a double.  That was it for the Bucs' hitting.

Jack Taschner actually had a decent inning of relief, striking out 2.  Ditto for Joel Hanrahan, who allowed no hits and struck out 1.  Hanrahan has been solid so far since coming back from the DL.

GAME.

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Miscellaneous shit

I said in the series preview that taking one game from this team would be a victory, and the Pirates were able to do that.  The Giants are one of the best teams in baseball.  The Pirates are not.

The road trip didn't go too well (2-4), but hopefully the Pirates can bounce back with a rare day off and a homecoming series against the Reds, who are 5-4, but had a slightly easier schedule than the Bucs so far (Cardinals, Cubs, and Marlins).

The upcoming schedule for the Pirates looks a little easier than the last 3 series, with the Reds and Brewers at home, and then on the road to face the sucktastic Astros.

Remember, it's still very early in the season.  Don't throw in the towel on the Bucs just yet.